Cryptodira (suborder)
- Scope note
- Suborder containing most living tortoises and turtles; the name means "hidden neck," and they differ from members of Pleurodira (side-neck turtles) who fold their neck under the edge of the shell, but cannot withdraw the head. In addition to differences in the neck, skulls vary in size and shape between the two groups, though all are made up of the same bony elements. The pleurodiran and cryptodiran turtles differ fundamentally in lower jaw architecture and musculature.
- Date of creation: 18-Nov-2024
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024