They developed from animals called anapsids during the Mesozoic era. They show very little change from their ancestral form. They contain 2 shells. The top shell is called the carapace , while the lower shell 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. Order Squamata . Lizards and snakes belong to this reptilian order. Lizards are the most abundant of this order.