They developed during the Mesozoic era. They show very little change from their ancestral form. They contain 2 shells. The top shell is called the carapace , and the lower one is called the plastron . Both shells are colored to help the turtle blend in with the 2 environments in which it lives.
All turtles lay their eggs on land.
Turtles do not contain teeth, but use a horny beak to grab and tear food. Turtles contain three eyelids. Lizards and snakes are examples. Lizards are the most abundant. They range in size from the large Komodo Dragon to the small tropical geckos.