100 
REPTILES 
Figure 84. — Common Snapping iurtle. 
The young snake just out of the egg or the young alligator 
just hatched is recognized by its resemblance to its parents. 
There is no metamorphosis, as in the frog. The reptiles 
lay their eggs in protected places and exhibit no parental 
care for the eggs or for the young. Some snakes hatch their 
young in the body of 
the parent and the off¬ 
spring are born alive. 
85. Turtles. — Tur¬ 
tles are easily recog¬ 
nized by their outer 
skeleton. This skeleton 
is unlike the skeleton 
of the starfish or crab, 
or of any other group 
of animals. The skele¬ 
ton of the turtle, com¬ 
posed mostly of skin plates, is something like a box with 
a cover, "the upper portion corresponding to the box itself, 
and the lower portion to the cover. The box does not fit 
closely all the way around, for there are places where the 
head, the tail, and the four 
legs stick out. When the 
turtle is disturbed, the legs, 
the head, and the tail are 
drawn inside, and the box 
is pulled down tightly by 
muscles to meet the cover. 
The term turtle is often 
applied to aquatic forms, 
and the term tortoise to 
those living on land. Sea 
turtles attain a length of six or eight feet and weigh some¬ 
times as much as a thousand pounds. The flesh of the green 
turtle and of the terrapin (ter'ra-pm) is used for food. 
Figure 85. — Head of a Rattlesnake. 
Dissected to show the poison gland, a, and 
its relation to the tooth. (Duvermoy.) 
