Turtles
Say…
Hey! We are Jurassic
But don’t think of us as old, just call us classic
Yes, it’s true that we are stoic
Chillin’ since the Mesozoic
Where our OGs kicked it back in the Triassic
TIMELINE
541 million BC
Paleozoic era starts
United States derivative work: Rursus ,
Devonianscene-green,
marked as public domain,
more details on Wikimedia Commons
299 million BC
Permian period starts
The Permian period starts. This is the last period of the Paleozoic era. The Carboniferous period ends
Credits: Diorama by Masato Hattori
Map from the Deep Time Maps collection, courtesy of Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc.
260 million BC
Earliest turtle ancestor
It is likely that turtle shells evolved from this reptile’s long, wide ribs that curved over its back
252 million BC
Mesozoic era starts
The Mesozoic era starts and the Paleozoic era ends
252 million BC
Triassic period starts
Credits: Diorama by Masato Hattori
Map from the Deep Time Maps collection, courtesy of Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc.
228 million BC
Beaked turtles
This ancestor of turtles had no shell and a toothless beak
201 million BC
Jurassic period starts
Credits: Diorama by Masato Hattori
Map from the Deep Time Maps collection, courtesy of Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc.
157 million BC
Modern turtles
145 million BC
Cretaceous period starts
The Cretaceous period starts. This is the third, final, and longest period of the Mesozoic era. The Jurassic period ends.
Credits: Diorama by Masato Hattori
Map from the Deep Time Maps collection, courtesy of Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc.
120 million BC
Sea turtles
SAY MORE
Geochelone sulcata -Oakland Zoo -feeding-8a,
Cropped by Jennifer Garth,
CC BY 3.0
Stoic survivors… Chillin’ since the Mesozoic
Turtles are one of the oldest reptile groups. They are older lizards, snakes, and dinosaurs.
They are extremely diverse and can live in almost any environment:
- They live on every continent except Antarctica
- Some live almost their entire lives submerged in water (fresh or salt). Others live on land, including in the extremely arid conditions of deserts. Some split the difference and are semi-aquatic.
- Some live at high altitudes and have adapted to the lower oxygen levels at those heights, while others can withstand the crushing pressure of deep sea diving
- Some can endure a wide range of temperatures: from below freezing to over 100° F
Turtles and their ancestors have:
Lived in all 3 eras of our current eon (Phanerozoic):
- Paleozoic era
- Mesozoic era
- Cenozoic era (the era in which we currently live)
Survived 3 of the 5 major mass extinction events:
Giving new meaning to the tale of the tortoise and the hare…
Turtles have survived every extinction event they have encountered, including the worst mass extinction ever to occur.
- Permian–Triassic extinction
- 252 million years ago
- Worst mass extinction ever, wiped out most life on Earth
- Turtle ancestors survived
- Triassic–Jurassic extinction
- 201 million years ago
- More than half of known living species completely died out
- Turtle ancestors survived and evolved into modern turtles
- Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction
- 66 million years ago
- Killed the dinosaurs
- Turtles still chillin’!
Unfortunately, most turtle species are currently threatened to some degree and are in danger of becoming extinct during our current, ongoing mass extinction (Holocene extinction).
OGs kicked it back in the Triassic
The most recent ancestor of modern turtles* first appeared in the Triassic period. This was approximately 10 million years before dinosaurs became the dominant animals on land.**
*This is the ancestor that later split into side-necked and hidden-necked turtles during the Jurassic period
**Dinosaurs existed at this time, and would indeed become the dominant land animals in the next geologic period (the Jurassic). But at this time, they were just beginning their rise.
Jurassic classics
During the Late Jurassic, the most recent common ancestor of turtles (which first appeared about 100 million years before this point), split into side-necked and hidden-necked turtles.
Sea turtles also first appeared in the Jurassic period.
This means that modern turtles (as we know them today) first appeared about 90 million years before dinosaurs went extinct and mammals even began their rise to become the dominant animals on land.*
*The extinction of dinosaurs (the dominant land animals at the time) led to the rise of mammals. Mammals would later become the dominant land animals during our current geologic era: the Cenozoic.
LEARN MORE
From the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Contains several videos on the evolution of turtle shells.
The last known Pinta Island tortoise. At the end of his life, he was known as the rarest creature in the world.
A look at Hox genes in turtle necks
The Soviet Zond 5 mission sent two Russian tortoises to the moon 10 months before NASA’s first manned moon landing. They were among the first earthlings to fly to and circle the moon.
The shells of hawksbill sea turtles have been used since ancient times to make various items such as jewelry, eyeglass frames, guitar picks, and ornamental items. Mostly due to this exploitation, hawksbill turtles are now a critically endangered species.
Information about turtles from Encyclopædia Britannica
The largest of all living turtles, the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, and the only turtle without a hard, bony shell
The largest turtle ever documented. The biggest specimen measured 15 ft and weighed 2.2–3.2 tons. It lived during the Late Cretaceous and is now extinct.
An extinct genus of side-necked turtle. It is the largest freshwater turtle known to have existed. The largest specimen is a carapace over 9 feet long.
Meet the turtles of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras
Tracking turtle diversity over 230 million years to reveal how they respond to various environmental pressures
An explanation from the San Diego Zoo
An explanation from Africa Geographic
From National Geographic
The role of tortoises in Darwin’s development of the theory of evolution
Short article from the American Museum of Natural History
Turtles are more closely related to birds and crocodiles than to lizards and snakes
From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
75 million-year-old sea turtle fossil discovery is a new genus and species that sheds light on the evolution of its modern relatives
They seem to have survived the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs because of their slow metabolisms and aquatic lifestyles
From NOAA
From Oldest.org
Alphabetical list of all existing turtle species. Also contains: the family to which the species belongs, the common name, and the location where they can be found.
From National Geographic Kids
From Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
From Animal Corner
Scientists discover that turtles began living in shells much earlier than once thought
Spills and thrills from the exciting world of turtle evolutionary history…
From Live Science
Sea turtle facts from NOAA Fisheries
Learn about turtle anatomy – article
YouTube video
From PLOS
Extinct reptile possibly related to turtles. Pappochelys means “grandfather turtle” in Greek, but its relation to turtles remains a subject of debate.
From the Oates Memorial Library and Museum and the Gilbert White Museum
From the American Museum of Natural History
A tortoise who was reportedly collected by Charles Darwin during his visit to the Galápagos Islands in 1835
Information about freshwater turtles from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
ALTERNATIVE VIEWS
Turtles retract their heads for protection, but new research suggests that ability evolved for an entirely different reason
It has long been thought that turtles evolved their shells for protection from predators. But a new study suggests they may have once served another purpose: burrowing.
Intelligent design argument using turtles as an example
FOLKLORE, MYTHOLOGY, & PHILOSOPHY
One of Aesop’s Fables
Mytheme of a giant turtle supporting or containing the world
Article about the mythology of the world turtle
An expression used to demonstrate the problem of infinite regress
A name for Earth used by some Indigenous peoples of North America
A story from Igbo folklore
A Sumerian myth translated by The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature at the University of Oxford
A Sumerian myth translated by The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature at the University of Oxford
Greek myth about a mountain nymph who was transformed into a tortoise. Turtles are sometimes called Chelonians due to this myth.
Greek myth about a robber who killed his victims by pushing them into the sea where they were eaten by a giant sea turtle
A mythical golden turtle god that appears in several Vietnamese legends
The Sanskrit word “Kurma” means “Tortoise” and “Turtle”. It is a Hindu avatar that is the tortoise incarnation of the god Vishnu.
An ancient Chinese form of divination using turtle shells
A large marine turtle in Chinese mythology
Also known as the “Black Warrior “, “Dark Warrior”, or “Mysterious Warrior”. It is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is usually depicted as a tortoise entwined together with a snake.
One of the nine sons of the Dragon King from Chinese mythology. Depicted as a dragon with the shell of a turtle.
In Japanese mythology, long-lived turtles with long strands of algae growing from their shells
A list of fictional turtles, tortoises, and terrapins from literature, movies and other elements of popular culture
DISCUSSION
SEE MORE RHYMES
RECENT RHYMES
RELATED RHYMES
SHARE THIS PAGE
AUTHOR INFORMATION
A butterfly feeding on the tears of a turtle in Ecuador,
Cropped by Jennifer Garth,
CC BY-SA 2.0
This is the featured image, which appears when sharing this page to social media. Sometimes a picture that appears in the rhyme page is used for the featured image. In those cases, the picture is already credited within the page.
Because this picture does not appear anywhere else on this page, I am including the attribution for this photo here. As with all other images on the page, hover over the picture to see the photographer credits.
