Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) (Grand Cayman Island, Caribbean Sea) 2

Description:

Description: English: Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) - loggerhead sea turtle in the Caymans. (photo provided by Miranda Manross) The turtles and tortoises (chelonians) are an ancient group of reptiles that have a Triassic to Holocene stratigraphic record. Turtles are most easily recognized by their shell - some forms can retract the head & limbs into the shell when threatened, while other species cannot. The overall body plan has changed very little since the Triassic - a great example of conservative evolution. Chelonians occur in terrestrial, freshwater, brackish-water, and marine settings. Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Reptilia, Anapsida, Testudines, Cheloniidae Locality: Grand Cayman Island, south of Cuba, northwestern Caribbean Sea See info. at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_sea_turtle. Date: 13 June 2009, 09:58:05. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/50437761407/. Author: James St. John.