final audacity project (sea turltles complete

Turtles have been on Earth for almost 200 million years, surviving due to their hard shells that protect them from predators. They can retract their heads, legs, and tails into their shells, and some even have hinged shells for added protection. Turtles have various defense mechanisms, such as spraying a bad smell or biting when threatened. They are adaptable creatures and can live in different environments as long as they have food, water, soft dirt or mud, and warm weather. Turtles hibernate in winter, while sea turtles in warm waters do not need to hibernate. Sea turtles are excellent swimmers and can travel long distances, with green sea turtles known to swim up to 14,000 miles to lay their eggs. The Remarkable Adaptable Turtle, written by Susan McCloskey. Turtles have been on the earth since the time of the dinosaurs, nearly 200 million years. Crocodiles, lizards, and snakes are the only other reptiles that have been around this long. How have turtles survived this long? Most turtles have a hard shell. The shell protects the turtle from the sharp teeth and claws of other animals such as skunks and raccoons. Many turtles can pull their heads, legs, and tails into their shell. That makes it hard for other animals to harm them. Some turtles even have parts of their shells that work like hinges on a door. These parts swing closed after the turtle has pulled its body parts inside. Then the turtle is almost as safe as a rock. Some turtles have other ways of protecting themselves. The musk turtle sprays a bad-smelling scent when enemies like snakes, birds, or people come near. The snapping turtle has a large head and strong sharp jaws. It raises itself up and snaps its jaws when it's threatened. It has a fierce bite. Because turtles have adapted to their changing environment so well, they can live almost anywhere. They need only food, water, soft dirt, or mud to burrow under, and a few months of warm weather. Turtles need some warm weather because they are reptiles. Like other reptiles such as snakes and lizards, turtles are cold-blooded. Their body temperature doesn't stay warm as ours does. Their body temperature is about the same as that of the air or the water around them. If the air temperature is warm, the turtle is warm. If the air is cold, the turtle is cold. When a turtle is very cold, its blood slows down and it cannot move to find food. That's why most turtles cannot live where it is cold all year round. So where do turtles go when winter comes? Land turtles, also called tortoises, bury themselves in the dirt, mud, or rotting plants. They sleep there for the winter. This is called hibernation. Many sea turtles, such as the loggerhead, live in warm waters, so they do not need to hibernate. The leatherback sea turtle, which lives in colder waters, is able to stay warm because of its huge size. It has an outer layer of tough skin over its shell and more fat than other turtles. These help to keep warm. Although many sea turtles are big, the biggest turtle ever found was a leatherback. It weighed almost 2,000 pounds. Leatherbacks can be nearly 8,000... 8 feet long. Sea turtles are wonderful swimmers. They can swim much faster and farther than people can. They use their strong front flippers like tattles, and use their back flippers to steer and stop. Green sea turtles have been known to swim distances of up to 14,000 miles to lay their eggs.