Perfect Paragraphs - Turtles

Turtles are a unique creature. There are no other creatures like it. No other creature has
the ability to live in water and also on land. No other creature has the ability to remove
the salt out of salt water. No others creature gender depends on the temperature of
their nest… crazy right?

Turtles have an extremely fascinating build. Whether it be their rock-hard shell or their
soft under-shell. Did you know that Turtles actually have 2 shells? The shell on top is
called carapace, this is the harder of the two shells. The shell that not everyone
knows about is located underneath the Turtle and it’s called the plastron. The purpose
of this shell is to keep its internal organs in place. Perhaps one of the more interesting
facts is that they can retract their heads into their shells when feeling scared.
However, turtles didn’t always have the amazing body
that we know and love today.

Turtles have been around for nearly 250 million years!!! That's a lot long longer than humans. The first turtles actually had teeth. However, due to evolution, this feature disappeared over time. Not only teeth but also when the first turtles were around they actually had no shells, they were just protected by their rib cages! It’s so weird to think that the iconic turtle shell came millions of years after turtles came into existence. They’ve been around for such a long and they aren’t leaving any time soon.

It may come as a surprise but there are over 300 different species of turtles in the world. The largest being the Leatherback sea turtle weighing in anywhere between 250 kg and 700 kg. It is also approximately 2 meters long! However, not all turtles are massive. There is a turtle called the Common Musk Turtle. It weighs around 600 g - that’s the same weight as a Basketball. Size isn’t the only difference between different species of turtles. There is a species of turtles called snapping turtles. They don’t have teeth but they can grasp onto you and use their powerful heads to pull a chunk out of you. They lie at the bottom of swamps and murky lakes waiting for the perfect time to strike. Turtles come in all shapes and sizes.

In conclusion, turtles are such a unique creature. They have such a fascinating anatomy. Not only that but they have barely evolved in the 250 million that they have been slowly walking on the earth. They also have their own special attributes, whether it be being massive or being tiny or perhaps it could be the fact that some of them could rip chunks flesh right out of you. They truly are one of the most special creatures on the planet.