A group of turtles called a bale. The most characteristic feature of all turtles is the bony shell, or, more precisely, the carapace from above and the plastron from below the body. For the shell to grow, it is divided into 20-30 individual plates, which increase independently of each other. They are connected with the ribs, vertebrae of the spine, hip and shoulder girdles. Outside, the bone plates are covered with horny material – keratin.
Turtles are so-called cold-blooded animals. This means that the temperature of their body depends on the temperature of the environment, differing from it only by a few degrees. In the warm season, when there is food, turtles lead an active lifestyle.
But in winter they have to fall into anabiosis, that is, processes in their bodies are reduced to a minimum. Winter turtles in burrows, under the ground, and freshwater – buried in the mud at the bottom of the reservoirs. Small Central Asian turtles sometimes dig holes of more than a meter in depth. When we say that turtles fall into hibernation in winter, we are mistaken. Only warm-blooded animals sleep in winter, but not reptiles.
Turtles have good sharp sight (at least at close range), perceive almost the entire spectrum of colors (including the one that we see, and even more). Well respond to bright colors – white, red, yellow. But do not pay any attention to blue, blue and violet tones.
