aestivate to become inactive during warm/dry periods of the year aquatic water based, or living in water bask to expose the body to the direct rays of the sun (e.g., many species of turtles regularly leave the water to bask on logs or rocks)

carapace the top, or back, portion of a turtle shell

carnivorous feeding on meat (animals)

channelization the straightening and/or deepening of a river channel

cloaca a chamber in the abdomen of some vertebrates that receives products of the reproductive, urinary, and digestive tracts before emptying to the exterior through the anus

embryo an organism in its early stages of development

endangered species a species in danger of becoming extinct within all or part of its range

herbivorous feeding chiefly on plants

hibernate become inactive during cold periods of the year

juvenile individual that has not attained sexual maturity

keratin hard, tough, fibrous protein produced in the skin—the basic substance that makes up scales, claws, fingernails,and hair

omnivorous feeding on a mixed diet of animals and plants

plastron the belly, or bottom, portion of a turtle shell

scutes enlarged scales such as those covering the bony shell of most turtles siltation deposition of fine mineral particles (silt) on the beds of streams or lakes

terrestrial land based, or living on land

threatened species a species likely to become endangered