Different Types of Turtles
Turtles are a well-spread out species that can be found on every continent around the world, except for Antarctica. In total, there are over 300 different types of turtles. From the sea turtles like the Leatherback, which reaches over 2,000 pounds in size, to the speckled padloper tortoise, which is the smallest in the world, reaching only 8 centremetres in size, so small that even birds attack it.
Common Similarities
Despite so many different types of turtles, there are a great deal of characteristics that are quite common among all turtles. For example, since they are reptiles, all turtles lay eggs and they all do it in the same way, by digging a hole and placing the legs inside. Once that is done, the turtles will move on to their lives, leaving the young to fend for themselves. So far, there are no known turtle mothers who care for their young.
Turtles can also breathe in the air, even sea turtles which spend a great deal of their lives under the water.
Environmental Status
Over the over 300 turtle species worldwide, many are in danger. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources documented 205 species across the planet in their 2006 Red List of Threatened Species, which showed that 62.9 percent of all turtle species were critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable.
The rundown of their environmental status is as follows: seven species are extinct, one is extinct in the wild, 26 are critically endangered, 45 are endangered, 58 are vulnerable, one is of lower-risk, 41 are near-threatened, 12 didnt have enough data for classification and 14 species are of the least concern.
Conclusion
With over 300 species spread across the globe, on every continent except Antarctica, and in every ocean except the Arctic Ocean, turtles are one of the most wide spread and successful species on the planet. The many different types of turtles attest to this fact, as well as their ability to survive through 200 million years of history, through environmental destruction and calamity. Thankfully, many types of conservation efforts are being put in place to ensure that the species does not die, after surviving ice ages, meteor impacts and more, at the hands of the human race, one of the most destructive forces the planet has ever known.
Hopefully, those different types of turtles that still exist on the planet will not join the dinosaurs, whom they shared the Earth with so many millions of years ago.