Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
"TURTLES" is a plural of: turtle. |
Date "TURTLES" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1550. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Food & Agriculture | An order of Reptilia comprising the turtles and tortoises. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Turtles Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines
Synonyms and common names
Turtles, terrapins, tortoises
Text
Leatherback turtle. Photo credit: NOAATestudines is the order of reptiles containing all turtles. All living turtles are in Chelonia; but some extinct turtles are Testudines but not Chelonia.
Testudines are anapsids, that is, their skulls lack temporal openings, and they are classified by cladists in the taxon Anapsida. All other extant amniotes have temporal openings (although in mammals the hole is obscured).
See Also: Jackson Ratio
Classification of Turtles
Order Testudines - Turtles
Suborder Cryptodira
Suborder Pleurodira
- Family Chelydridae (Snapping Turtles)
- Superfamily Testudinoidea
- Family Testudinidae (Tortoises)
- Family Bataguridae (Asian River Turtles, Leaf and Roofed Turtles, Asian Box Turtles)
- Family Emydidae (Pond Turtles/Box and Water Turtles)
- Superfamily Trionychoidea
- Family Carettochelyidae (Pignose Turtles)
- Family Trionychidae (Softshell Turtles)
- Superfamily Kinosternoidea
- Family Dermatemydidae (River Turtles)
- Family Kinosternidae (Mud and Musk Turtles)
- Family Platysternidae (Big-headed Turtles)
- '''Superfamily Chelonioidea
- Family Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
- Family Dermochelyidae (Leatherback Turtles)
- Family Chelidae (Austro-American Sideneck Turtles)
- Superfamily Pelomedusoidea
- Family Pelomedusidae (Afro-American Sideneck Turtles)
- Family Podocnemididae (Madagascan Big-headed and American Sideneck River Turtles)
References
http://www.innvista.com/taxonomy/reptiles/default.htm
as of 2002-06-16
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/anapsids/testudines/testudines.html
as of 2002-06-17Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Testudines."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
This article is about the animal. For all other use see Turtle (disambiguation).
Turtles
A sea turtleScientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Chelonia (Testudines) Families Testudinidae - Land tortoises
Emydidae - Freshwater turtles
Gopherus - North American tortoises
Trionychidae - Soft-shelled turtles
Pleurodira - Side-necked turtles
Chelydridae - Snapping turtles
Kinosteron - Mud turtles
Sternotherus - Musk turtles
Staurotypus - Giant Musk turtles
Claudius - Narrow-bridged Mud turtles
Cheloniidae - Sea turtles
Dermochelidae - Leatherback sea turtlesTurtles, a generic name for the group of reptiles which includes tortoises and terrapins, are reptiles most of whose body is shielded by a special bony shell developed from their ribs. All extant, or living, turtles are members of the order Chelonia, as well as the superorder Testudines, which includes both living and extinct varieties of turtle.
There are two major groups of turtles: sea turtles, which grow to large sizes and live in the oceans in the temperate and tropical regions of the earth, and fresh-water turtles.
Fresh-water turtles which spend the majority of their time on the land are generally called tortoises. In the United Kingdom aquatic fresh-water turtles are known as terrapins. Fresh-water turtles are generally much smaller, ranging in size from a few centimeters to a few feet long. All turtles have a protective shell around their bodies. The top part of their case is called the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge.
The size of turtles can vary from a few centimetres to up to two meters. Turtles generally live a long time; some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years.
The first turtles already existed in the era of the dinosaurs, some 200 million years ago. Turtles are the only surviving branch of the even more ancient clade Anapsida, which includes groups such as the procolophonoids, millerettids and pareiasaurs. Most of the anapsids became extinct in the late Permian period, with the exception of the procolophonoids and the precursors of the testudines (turtles).
Even though they spend large amounts of their lives underwater, turtles are air-breathing reptiles, and must surface at regular intervals to refill their lungs with fresh air. They also spend part of their lives on dry land. Sea turtles lay their eggs on dry sandy beaches, and are highly endangered largely as a result of beach development.
See also: Predator
External links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Turtle."
Synonyms: TURTLESSynonyms: Terrapins, Tortoises. (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | A true Ninja is a master of himself and his environment, so don't forget: We're turtles! (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze; writing credit: Kevin Eastman; Peter Laird) Mom! There's two giant turtles in the bathroom and one of them has got your stockings (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; writing credit: Marty Eisenberg) I can take giant turtles and dinosaurs, but leeches yuck (The Last Dinosaur; writing credit: William Overgard) | |
Lyrics | For rabbits turtles to chase (A Pale Horse Against Time; performing artist: The Who) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) | |
Song Titles | Elenore (performing artist: The Turtles) Happy Together (performing artist: The Turtles) She'd Rather Be With Me (performing artist: The Turtles) You Showed Me (performing artist: The Turtles) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Sea turtles on East Island. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Young snapping turtles being released into the wild. The one on the left is underwater. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | An abandoned pound net. These are used to catch fish, but also entraps many turtles and aquatic birds. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Before turtle excluder devices (TED) loggerhead turtles were casualties of shrimping operations. Credit: Fisheries. |
 | Turtle excluder device (TED) manufactured by Saunders Marine Machine Shop. The oval metal ring and bars deflect the turtles. The cut in the netting is where the trap door will be placed. The bars force a turtle to the trap door which will open allowing the turtle to go free. Credit: Fisheries. |  | North Inlet - Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on South Carolina beaches from May to August. Adult and juvenile sea turtles can be observed in South Carolina estuaries during most months of the year where they feed on a variety of shellfish. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
 | Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Spotted turtle - Clemmys guttata. According to some accounts this is the smallest of turtles. It is found in brackish and freshwater. It has a low tolerance for pollution and is thus an indicator species of water quality. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |  | Dr. Jim McVey tagging green turtles on Helens Reef. Credit: Small World. |
 | Determining if turtle nest present and counting the number of eggs. This was a successful investigation. Green turtles nest on Helen's Reef routinely. Credit: Small World. |  | Red-eared turtles in a wetland. Credit: Lynn Betts. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Turtles" by Rob.bakkers@home.nl Commentary: "Turtles (To get a full size picture contact me. The full size is 3.1mp)." | "Three turtles" by Michelle Kwajafa Commentary: "Three turtles at the national zoo in washington dc." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | They also eat berries, nuts, eggs, snakes, and turtles. (references) | |
Reptiles (including turtles) are not appropriate pets for small children and should not be in the same house as an infant. (references) | ||
In the 1970s, small pet turtles were a common source of salmonellosis in the United States, and in 1975, the sale of small turtles was halted in this country. (references) | ||
Economic History | Eq. Guinea | Eco-tourism has made some inroads into Equatorial Guinea with the establishment of Mt. Alen National Park and organized excursions to the beaches of Ureca when the sea turtles come ashore in February. (references) |
Cayman Islands | The harvesting of sea turtles to resupply passing sailing ships was the first major economic activity on the islands, but local stocks were depleted by the 1790s. Agriculture, while sufficient to support the small early settler population, has always been limited by the scarcity of available land. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | GUILLOTINE, n. A machine which makes a Frenchman shrug his shoulders with good reason. In his great work on Divergent Lines of Racial Evolution, the learned Professor Brayfugle argues from the prevalence of this gesture -- the shrug -- among Frenchmen, that they are descended from turtles and it is simply a survival of the habit of retracing the head inside the shell. It is with reluctance that I differ with so eminent an authority, but in my judgment (as more elaborately set forth and enforced in my work entitled Hereditary Emotions -- lib. II, c. XI) the shrug is a poor foundation upon which to build so important a theory, for previously to the Revolution the gesture was unknown. I have not a doubt that it is directly referable to the terror inspired by the guillotine during the period of that instrument's activity. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "TURTLES" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 88.10% of the time. "TURTLES" is used about 168 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 88.1% | 148 | 25,903 |
| Noun (proper) | 8.93% | 15 | 90,616 |
| Lexical Verb (-s form) | 2.98% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Total | 100.00% | 168 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "TURTLES": ex-turtles. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
ninja turtles.com | 32 |
mutant ninja teenage turtles.com | 22 |
snapping turtles.com | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "TURTLES"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Danish | skildpadder (testudinata, tortoises). (various references) | |
Dutch | schildpadden (testudinata, tortoises). (various references) | |
French | tortues, chéloniens. (various references) | |
German | Schildkröten (tortoises). (various references) | |
Greek | χελώνια (scrofula). (various references) | |
Hungarian | szerelmespár (lovers, pair of turtles, twosome). (various references) | |
Italian | testudinati (testudinata, tortoises). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | urtlestay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | tartarugas e cágados (testudinata, tortoises). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Testudinata. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Numbers Chapter 6, Verse 10 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai th hmera th ogdoh oisei duo trugonaV h duo neossouV peristerwn proV ton ierea epi taV quraV thV skhnhV tou marturiou |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | In octavo autem die offeret duos turtures vel duos pullos columbae sacerdoti in introitu foederis testimonii |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | In the eiytith forsothe day he shal offre two turturs, or two culuer briddes, to the preest, in the entre of the boond of pees of witnessynge. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And the eyght daye he shall brynge .ij. turtles or .ij. yonge pigeons to the preast vnto ye dore of ye tabernacle of witnesse |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And on the eighth day let him take to the priest, at the door of the Tent of meeting, two doves or two young pigeons; |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Numbers Chapter 6, Verse 10 |
| Cebuano | Ug sa ikawalo ka adlaw magadala siya ug duruha ka tukmo kun duruha ka kuyabog sa salampati ngadto sa sacerdote sa pultahan sa balong-balong nga pagatiguman, |
| Croatian | A osmoga dana neka donese sveæeniku, na ulazu u Šator sastanka, dvije grlice ili dva golubiæa. |
| Danish | og den ottende Dag skal han bringe to Turtelduer eller Dueunger til Præsten ved Åbenbaringsteltets Indgang. |
| Dutch | En op den achtsten dag zal hij twee tortelduiven, of twee jonge duiven brengen tot den priester, tot de deur van de tent der samenkomst. |
| Finnish | Ja kahdeksantena päivänä hän tuokoon kaksi metsäkyyhkystä tai kaksi kyyhkysenpoikaa papille ilmestysmajan ovelle. |
| French | Le huitième jour, il apportera au sacrificateur deux tourterelles ou deux jeunes pigeons, à l`entrée de la tente d`assignation. |
| German | Und am achten Tage soll er zwei Turteltauben bringen oder zwei junge Tauben zum Priester vor die Tür der Hütte des Stifts. |
| Hungarian | A nyolczadik napon pedig vigyen két gerliczét vagy két galambfiat a papnak a gyülekezet sátorának nyílásához. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Pada hari yang kedelapan ia harus membawa dua ekor burung merpati atau burung tekukur kepada imam di pintu Kemah TUHAN. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka pada hari yang kedelapan hendaklah dibawanya dua ekor burung tekukur atau dua ekor anak merpati kepada imam, ke pintu kemah perhimpunan. |
| Italian | l'ottavo giorno porterà due tortore o due colombi al sacerdote, all'ingresso della tenda del convegno. |
| Maori | A i te waru o nga ra me kawe mai e ia he kukupa kia rua, he pi kikupa ranei kia rua, ki te tohunga, ki te whatitoka o te tapenakara o te whakaminenga: |
| Norwegian | Og på den åttende dag skal han komme til presten med to turtelduer eller to dueunger, til inngangen til sammenkomstens telt. |
| Portuguese | Ao oitavo dia trará duas rolas ou dois pombinhos, ao sacerdote, à porta da tenda da revelação; |
| Rumanian | Kn ziua a opta, sq aducq preotului douq turturele sau doi pui de porumbel, la uwa cortului kntklnirii. |
| Russian | Й Ч ЧПУШНПК ДЕОШ ДПМЦЕО РТЙОЕУФЙ ДЧХИ ЗПТМЙГ, ЙМЙ ДЧХИ НПМПДЩИ ЗПМХВЕК, Л УЧСЭЕООЙЛХ, ЛП ЧИПДХ УЛЙОЙЙ УПВТБОЙС; |
| Swedish | Och på åttonde dagen skall han bära fram till prästen två turturduvor eller två unga duvor, till uppenbarelsetältets ingång. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Misspellings | |
"TURTLES" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Burtless, Tourelles, Tourtel, Turkle, Turleys, turple, turtel, turttle, turtule. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "TURTLES" (pronounced ter"tulz) |
| 5 | -er" t u l z | myrtles. |
| 4 | -t u l z | acquittals, artiodactyls, continentals, battles, beetles, belittles, bottles, capitals, capitols, chortles, crystals, dentals, dismantles, entitles, fundamentals, genitals, Gentles, hospitals, hostels, immortals, incidentals, instrumentals, kettles, kittles, lentils, littles, mantles, metals, mortals, nettles, Orientals, pedestals, petals, pistols, portals, projectiles, rattles, rebuttals, recitals, rentals, settles, shuttles, skittles, startles, subtitles, throttles, titles, totals, varietals, vittles, wattles. |
| 3 | -u l z | ables, accruals, admirals, advertorials, agrochemicals, ambles, angels, angles, animals, ankles, annals, annuals, apostles, apples, appraisals, approvals, archangels, arrivals, arsenals, articles, assembles, australs, axles, constables, convertibles, corals, councils, counsels, baffles, bagels, balmorals, barbels, barnacles, barrels, baubles, beadles, beagles, befuddles, betrayals, bibles, bicycles, bifocals, bindles, biologicals, biomaterials, biphenyls, bisexuals, boggles, Boodles, boondoggles, bowels, brambles, bristles, brothels, bubbles, buckles, bugles, bundles, burials, bushels, cables, camels, cancels, candles, cannibals, capsules, cardinals, carnivals, carols, castles, casuals, cathedrals, cereals, channels, chemicals, chisels, chorals, chronicles, chuckles, circles, collectibles, colonels, colonials, commercials, compatibles, confessionals, counterproposals, couples, crackles, cradles, credentials, criminals, cripples, crumbles, cubicles, cudgels, cycles, cyclicals, cymbals, dabbles, dangles, debacles, decibels, decimals, deductibles, deferrals, denials, devils, diagonals, dials, diesels, differentials, disables, disciples, dismissals, disposables, disposals, doodles, doubles, dowels, duals, duels, durables, dwindles, eagles, edibles, editorials, embezzles, enables, enamels, encyclicals, ensembles, entrails, equals, essentials, evangelicals, evils, examples, extraterrestrials, fables, facials, faithfuls, federals, festivals, fiddles, finals, fizzles, flannels, foibles, follicles, fossils, freckles, fuels, fumbles, funerals, funnels, gables, gambles, generals, giggles, goggles, Gospels, grackles, granules, grapples, gribbles, grumbles, gunnels, guzzles, hackles, handles, hassles, heterosexuals, hobbles, homosexuals, honeysuckles, hopefuls, hovels, huddles, humbles, hurdles, hustles, hymnals, icicles, idles, idols, illegals, imperils, imponderables, individuals, industrials, infomercials, Ingles, initials, intangibles, intellectuals, internationals, intervals, invisibles, jewels, jingles, journals, juggles, jungles, juveniles, kennels, kernels, kestrels, knuckles, labels, ladles, laurels, legals, levels, liberals, locals, madrigals, mammals, mangels, maniples, manuals, Maples, marbles, marshals, marvels, materials, measles, medals, memorials, metacarpals, mickles, microfossils, minerals, mingles, minstrels, miracles, Miserables, missiles, mistrials, mobiles, models, moguls, mongols, morals, morsels, motorcycles, muddles, multinationals, multiples, Mumbles, municipals, murals, muscles, musicals, mussels, muzzles, nationals, needles, neoliberals, nestles, neutrals, nibbles, nickels, Nickles, nicols, nitriles, nobles, nondurables, nonprofessionals, noodles, nostrils, notables, novels, nozzles, numerals, observables, obstacles, officials, ogles, oodles, oracles, originals, ossicles, paddles, panels, panfuls, parables, paralegals, parcels, particles, payables, pebbles, pedals, peddles, pencils, peoples, perennials, perils, periodicals, peripherals, personals, petrels, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, physicals, Pickles, piddles, pimples, pineapples, pixels, poodles, portables, portrayals, potentials, pretzels, principals, principles, professionals, proposals, puddles, pupils, purples, puzzles, quarrels, quibbles, radials, radicals, raffles, rankles, rascals, rebels, receivables, receptacles, rectangles, recyclables, recycles, referrals, refusals, regionals, rehearsals, removals, renewals, reprisals, resembles, residuals, revels, reversals, revivals, riddles, rifles, ripples, rituals, rivals, Robles, royals, rubles, ruffles, rumbles, runkles, runnels, sables, saddles, samples, sandals, scalpels, scandals, scoundrels, scrambles, scribbles, scruples, scuffles, semifinals, sentinels, sequels, serials, shackles, shambles, shekels, shingles, shovels, shuffles, sickles, signals, singles, sorrels, sparkles, specials, spectacles, spirals, spirituals, sprinkles, squabbles, squiggles, squirrels, stables, Staples, stickles, stifles, straddles, struggles, stumbles, subprincipals, supermodels, swindles, swivels, syllables, symbols, tables, tackles, tangibles, tangles, taxables, Technicals, temples, tentacles, terminals, testicles, testimonials, thistles, tickles, timetables, tonsils, topples, towels, tramples, transsexuals, travels, trials, triangles, tribunals, trickles, trifles, triples, troubles, truffles, tumbles, tunnels, turntables, tussles, tutorials, twinkles, uncles, unicycles, unravels, untouchables, upheavals, utensils, valuables, vandals, variables, vassals, vegetables, vehicles, vessels, vials, vigils, visuals, vocals, vowels, waffles, weevils, whistles, winkles, withdrawals, wrangles, wrestles, wrinkles. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-l-r-s-t-t-u" | |
-1 letter: luster, lustre, result, rustle, sutler, truest, turtle, ulster, utters. | |
-2 letters: lures, lutes, rules, strut, sturt, trets, trues, trust, tules, utter. | |
-3 letters: erst, lest, lets, lues, lure, lust, lute, rest, rets, rues, rule, ruse, rust, ruts, sett, slue, slur, stet, suer, suet, sure, tels, test, tets, tret, true, tule, tuts, user. | |
-4 letters: els, ers, let. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-l-r-s-t-t-u" | |
+1 letter: clutters, flutters, guttlers, lustrate, sluttier, splutter, turtlers, tutelars. | |
+2 letters: fruitlets, literatus, lustrated, lustrates, rebuttals, resultant, roulettes, splutters, spluttery, sultriest, trustable, trustless, turnstile. | |
+3 letters: butterless, courtliest, elutriates, flutterers, gastrulate, gratulates, illustrate, litterbugs, lutestring, neutralist, outwrestle, reluctates, resolutest, resultants, spluttered, splutterer, staurolite, stridulate, tablatures, testicular, titularies, tribulates, turnstiles, turntables, tutelaries, ultraheats, unclutters. | |
+4 letters: adulterants, adulterates, articulates, bottlebrush, brutalities, butterballs, butterflies, buttermilks, elutriators, gastrulated, gastrulates, illustrated, illustrates, kettledrums, laundrettes, literatures, lutestrings, neutralists, outglitters, outwrestled, outwrestles, petrolatums, platterfuls, plattersful, restfullest, restimulate, resultantly, reticulates, shutterless, splutterers, spluttering, staurolites, strangulate, stridulated, stridulates, subliterate, sulfuretted, textureless, tranquilest, translucent, troubleshot, turtlebacks, turtledoves, turtleheads, turtlenecks, ultrasecret. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Bible Trace 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
