Turtle Terms

brumation: term for hibernation in reptiles and amphibians.


carapace: a turtle's upper shell


cloaca: the single opening in turtles' tails


diurnal: active during daylight hours


dorsal: of, near, or on the back


herbivorous: feeding on plants; plant-eating


hibernacula: location where animals hibernate, often in groups


marginals: the scutes of the shell perimeter


omnivorous: eats a wide range of plant and animal foods


plastron: a turtle's lower shell


plastral: relating to plastron (see above)


scutes: the plates which make up the shell


ventral: of, near, or on the belly


vernal pools: small temporary ponds that fill with water in fall and winter and are dry by late summer


close this window