Items14The creator’s order
- 1
Green sea turtleThe shell can be brown, gray, or olive. Its name comes from the greenish fat under the shell. Compared with a loggerhead, the green turtle has a small head for its size, and adults eat mostly seagrass and algae.0 - 2
Loggerhead sea turtleLook for a large head and a reddish-brown shell. The jaws can crush hard prey such as conchs and whelks, which makes that outsized head a clue to how the turtle eats.0 - 3
Hawksbill sea turtleThis reef visitor has a narrow, pointed bill that can reach into crevices for sponges. The plates on its usually mottled shell tend to overlap, and the back edge often looks serrated.0 - 4
Leatherback sea turtleLong ridges run down its dark, rubbery back where most sea turtles have hard plates. The leatherback ranges farther into cold waters than other sea turtles and eats soft-bodied prey, including jellyfish.0 - 5
Kemp's ridley sea turtleAn adult is small for a sea turtle and has a broad gray-green shell. Kemp’s ridleys often feed on crabs and other shellfish in shallow coastal waters, especially in the Gulf of Mexico.0 - 6
Alligator snapping turtleA heavy head and three rough ridges along the shell give this freshwater turtle an alligator-like profile. A wormlike appendage on its tongue lures fish within reach.0 - 7
Diamondback terrapinThe plates on the upper shell can show nested rings shaped like diamonds. Look for this terrapin in coastal salt marshes and tidal creeks, where the water is often a mix of fresh water and seawater.0 - 8
Painted turtleWatch for a smooth, dark shell with red or orange markings along the edge and yellow stripes on the head. Painted turtles often bask on logs in quiet freshwater, making those small flashes of color easier to see.0 - 9
Pig-nosed turtleThis freshwater turtle paddles on flippers that look surprisingly like those of a sea turtle. Its fleshy, upturned nose gives it away. It lives in northern Australia and southern New Guinea.0 - 10
Mary River turtleThe streamlined shell and broad webbing suit a turtle that lives in the Mary River system of Queensland. Adult males have unusually long tails that can reach about 70 percent of the shell’s length.0