Pleurodira

E377925

Pleurodira is a suborder of turtles characterized by their distinctive sideways neck retraction and primarily freshwater, Southern Hemisphere distribution.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Pleurodira canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (41)

Predicate Object
instanceOf taxonomic group
turtle suborder
aquaticAdaptation strong swimming ability
bodyPlan dorsoventrally flattened shell in many species
characteristic cannot retract head straight back into shell
sideways neck retraction
clade Testudinata
class Reptilia
commonName side-necked turtles
diet carnivorous
omnivorous
distinctFrom Cryptodira
distribution primarily Southern Hemisphere
eggLayingSite terrestrial nests
extantOrExtinct both extant and extinct taxa
fossilRecord Mesozoic
includesFamily Chelidae
Pelomedusidae
Podocnemididae
infraclass Lepidosauromorpha
jawCovering keratinous beak
kingdom Animalia
limbType webbed feet
neckRetractionMode lateral
neckVertebraeArticulation adapted for lateral bending
notableRegion Africa
Australia
Madagascar
South America
parentTaxon Testudines
pelvicGirdleAttachment fused to shell
phylum Chordata
reproduction oviparous
scientificNameAuthorship Cope, 1864 (usage for suborder rank)
shellType bony shell
subclass Diapsida
taxonRank suborder
typicalHabitat freshwater
lakes
rivers
swamps

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cryptodira sisterGroup Pleurodira