Learn how to tell whether a turtle is male or female
Suitable For
Grade 2
Difficulty
2
Time Required
<12 Hours
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
Learning about turtles and tortoises can be fun and surprising. Since they have been on the earth for more than 200 million years, many interesting facts have been discovered through the centuries. Have you ever wondered how to tell if a turtle is a male or a female? Find out in the following science experiment:
Topics covered
Plastron, Convex / Concave
What will I need?
- SEVERAL TURTLES
- YOUR EYES
Procedure (Method)
Learning about turtles and tortoises can be fun and surprising. Since they have been on the earth for more than 200 million years, many interesting facts have been discovered through the centuries. Have you ever wondered how to tell if a turtle is a male or a female? Find out in the following science experiment:
- Find a place in your neighbourhood that keeps turtles such as a petting zoo or similar place.
- Ask permission to handle the turtles and then gently turn a few of the turtles over to inspect the shape of their under shells.
- Notice the curve of the under shell and examine it to see if it has a convex or concave shape.
How does it work?
In this science experiment you can tell the gender of a turtle by examining it’s under shell, also called the ‘plastron’ of a turtle. If the ‘plastron’ is slightly ‘convex’ or curved outward, the turtle is a female. If the under shell is ‘concave’ or slightly curved inward, you know that the turtle is a male!
Like the sound of it?
Why not check out the full worksheet in one of our popular e-books?
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