Handbook of Turtles

摘要: Two hundred million years ago the reptiles, newly arisen from an uncommonly doughty set of amphibians, were on verge great adventures. They bore mark destiny in shape impervious scales and new cunning to lay shelled eggs, these devices insured them against age-old disaster drying out, both before birth after, let gratify their growing curiosity about vast almost empty land. Along with equipment they had imagination no end notions for novel body designs. Today we call old beasts cotylosaurs, or stem because all lines vertebrate life above amphibian level lead back as branches converge trunk a tree.