The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-28
TURTLES THAT LIVE 400 YEARS.
Some That Weigh a Ton Facts
About the Only Animal Who Needs
no Strong Backbone.
From the New York Post.

From the New York Post.
A turtle, waddling his solitary way
along some water course, attracts lit
tie interest outside of his clumsy, gro
tesque shape, yet few who look upon
him are able to give, off hand, even
bare half-dozen facts about this hum
BILE creature. And IL they could give
any, their information would be limit
ed to two or three usages his body is
put to-soup and mandolin picks-also
combs.
There are about 200 different kinds
of turtles, and they live in all parts
of the world, except in very cold coun-
tries. Australia has the fewest, and
North and Central America the great
est number of species. Evolutionists
can tell us nothing of their origin, for
as far back in geological ages as they
are found fossil Ga matter of a little
over 10, 100000 years.; all are true tur-
ties, not half turtles and half some
thing else. Crocodiles and alligators,
with their hard, leathery coats, come
as near to them as any living creature,
and when we see huge swapping tur-
tie come out OF the water and walk
about on land we cannot but be re-
minded of the fellow with the armour
err back.
Turtles are found on the sea and on
the land, the marine forms deserving
the name of turtles, more properly; tor
toises being those living on land or in
fresh water but we will use the name
turtles as significant of the whole class.
The most natural way of classifying
these creatures is by the way the head
and neck are drawn back under the
shell: whether the head is turned to
one side, or drawn straight back, bend
ing the neck into letter shape.
The skull of the turtle is massive,
and some have thick. false roofs on
top of the usual brain box.
The "house" or she'll of a turtle is
made up of separate pieces of bone,
central row along the back and others
arranged around on both sides. These
are really pieces of the skin Of the back
changed to bone. Our ribs are direct
ly under the skin of the back, and IL
this skin should harden into a bone
like substance the ribs would lie fiat
against it, and this is the case with the
ribs of turtles. So when we marvel
that the ribs of turtle are on the out
side of its body, a second thought will
show that this is just as true of us as
of these reptiles.
This hardening of the skin has
brought about some interesting changes
in the body of the turtle. In all the
higher animals from fishes up to man
a backbone is of the greatest impor-
lance, not only to carry the nerves and
blood vessels, but to support the entire
body. In turtles alone the string of
vertebrate is unnecessary, the shell CIV
ing all the support needed. So as ma
ture seldom allows unused tissues or
organs to remain, these bones along the
back become, in many species, reduced
to a mere thread.
The pieces Of bone or horn which go
to make up the shell, although so diff
ferent in appearance from skin, yet
have the same 1ife-processes. Occa-
sionally ii mouths or peels, the outer
part coming off in great flakes. Each
piece grows by the addition of rings
Of horn at the joints. and Qike the rings
OF a tree) the age OF turtles. except
very old ones. can be told by the NUM-
Der Of circles Of horn on each piece.
The rings are very distinct in species
which live In temperate climates. Here
they are compelled TO hibernate during
the winter. and this cessation Of growth
marks the intervals between each ring
In tropical turtles the rings are absent