Except for one species, all the other marine turtles belong to this family. All the species in this family are exclusively live in the ocean. They all have heart shaped carapaces. Except for the Loggerhead, others cannot use the shell to hide from predators. But the females come ashore to lay eggs. Since their eggs need average temperature to hatch, they are wide spread in the warm oceans of the world. They are harmless animals & the biggest threats to them are caused by the humans. Pollutions led to a decrease of these turtle populations. Dogs, cats, ants & crows are also main predators for eggs.

Lepidochlys olvacea
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Dawrf Turtle
Batu Kesbawa, Mada Kesbawa
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This family includes many fossil forms & only a single living species named Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) which is the largest of the sea turtles found globally. It is also one of the heaviest living reptiles. They migrate to Arctic oceans due to having heat-exchange mechanism which helps them to survive in cold water. They mainly feed on Jelly fish which makes their flesh toxic to human.

This family includes American semi aquatic hard shelled turtles. They were introduced to all the subtropical & tropical countries including Sri Lanka as a pet through the pet trade. They are very popular as pets. They are also known as the worst Alien species & are known to carry the Salmonella bacteria.

 All the subspecies have webbed feet that aid the turtle in swimming. There is some sexual dimorphism. The male is usually smaller than the female with a much longer, thicker tail. The cloacal opening of the male is beyond the edge of the carapace while the female's opening is usually at or under the rear edge of the carapace. Males have elongated claws that they use in courtship/mating. They range in total length from 12.5 to 28.9 cm.

Pond sliders enjoy basking on logs, rocks, or stumps near the water. Pond sliders are often observed in large groups mainly because of their aggregation on limited numbers of basking sites. Sometimes you can see sliders stacked on top of each other three high. The name "slider" refers to the quick retreat from their basking site into the water when they feel even the slightest bit threatened. Sliders will sleep at night underwater, usually resting on the bottom or floating on the surface, using their inflated throat as a flotation aid. Sliders become inactive at temperatures below 10°C. They will often hibernate underwater or under banks and hollow stumps. Emergence occurs in early March to late April.

Land tortoises are land-dwelling reptiles.  This tortoise family is adapted for life on dry land & many can survive for a longer periods of time without water but the once which live in wet zone are very fond of water. Only Geochelone elegans species is present in Sri Lanka. They are very popular in pet trade & large numbers are gathered to export. 

These tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell, with the top part of it is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters. They can be identified by possessing columnar legs, rounded shells & heavy scales on the limbs. Tortoises tend to be diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. The true tortoises are almost entirely herbivorous but some may show scavenging time to time. The forest plants are agents of dispersal of them.

This family includes soft shelled skin-clad tortoises. They are highly aquatic& are found in rivers, ponds ect. They are primarily carnivorous although they consume water plants at times. They are usually aggressive & their bites are very painful.