Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 3-7 Subject: Earth Science

Rescuing Turtles

Conservationists in Hong Kong are battling to rescue thousands of turtles from smugglers supplying China’s exotic food market. The turtles were among some 10,000 being shipped from southeast Asia to markets in mainland China.

Four men were arrested when officials discovered the turtles. Importing undeclared cargo carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Some of the rescued turtles are among the world’s most endangered species, including the river terrapin, Asian brown turtle, painted terrapin, box turtle and the black marsh turtle.

In this week's online lesson you will learn more about turtles, the world's first animal to invent the mobile home.

The Turtle Pages

Let's start this week's online lesson with a good scientific turtle site. Go to The Turtle Pages, a site by zoologist Jeff Dawson (who really likes turtles). Read the welcome, and then click What is a Turtle on the right. As you will learn, turtles are the oldest living group of reptiles, first appearing about 200 million years ago. What other reptiles have been around a long, long time? Why do turtles have a horny beak? Why are many species of turtles threatened with extinction?

Go back to the main page and click Evolution of Turtles, the second link on the right. If you like dinosaurs you probably like turtles. How were turtles of the late Triassic Period different from modern turtles? How were they similar? When did sea turtles show up and how big did they get?

Go back to the main page again and click Turtles and Man, where you can read about the long relationship between man and turtles. We have eaten turtles for food (and in some places still do), written about them in stories, kept them as pets, and even put them on our postage stamps.

If you have time, read Turtle Trivia. Choose a trivia quiz and answer the questions. How did you do?

All Turtles

You'll find more turtle fun by browsing to All Turtles, your turtle web community. Here you read turtle articles and find out about turtle events and turtle news. But first, take a second to answer the question in the AllTurtles Poll on the lower right. Read the question, click your answer, and then click Vote. You can see the poll results when you're done.

Now for some serious learning, click Turtle Species along the top. On this page you can see a few pictures of turtle species and learn more about them. Click the name of any turtle you want to learn about. Pick four or five to learn about and choose one favorite, then answer these questions. What is your favorite turtle's favorite food? Does this turtle live on land or water? How big does this turtle get? Name an interesting fact about your turtle.

What do you need to do to take care of a turtle as a pet? Find out by clicking Care Sheets. How you care for your turtle depends on whether it's a land or water turtle. First click Land Turtle Care and then read about proper Housing and Feeding. Do the same for Water Turtle Care. Would you rather care for a water turtle or a land turtle? Explain why.

Exotic Turtles

Caring for an exotic turtle may take a little more knowledge and care. What are exotic turtles? They originate from Asia, Africa and South America, but now they are kept and bred in North America and Europe. To learn more visit Mary Hopson's Exotic Turtles page. There are a lot of turtle species listed here. Again, pick four or five to study. Some of these pages have pictures, and all of them tell about the turtle's home and habitat.

Choose a favorite exotic turtle and answer these questions. What markings can be used to identify your favorite exotic turtle? What country or region does your favorite exotic turtle come from?

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