Editing Turtle (section)

===Diet and feeding===
[[File:Green Sea Turtle grazing seagrass.jpg|thumb|A [[green sea turtle]] grazing on seagrass |alt=Photograph of a green sea turtle on the seabed, feeding]]

Most turtle species are opportunistic omnivores; land-dwelling species are more [[Herbivore|herbivorous]] and aquatic ones more [[Carnivore|carnivorous]].{{sfn|Franklin|2011|p=28}} Generally lacking speed and agility, most turtles feed either on plant material or on animals with limited movements like mollusks, worms, and insect larvae.<ref name=Firefly/> Some species, such as the [[African helmeted turtle]] and snapping turtles, eat fish, amphibians, reptiles (including other turtles), birds, and mammals. They may take them by [[ambush predator|ambush]] but also scavenge.{{sfn|Orenstein|2012|p=231}} The [[alligator snapping turtle]] has a worm-like appendage on its tongue that it [[Aggressive mimicry|uses to lure fish]] into its mouth. Tortoises are the most herbivorous group, consuming grasses, leaves, and fruits.{{sfn|Franklin|2011|pp=29–30}} Many turtle species, including tortoises, supplement their diet with eggshells, animal bones, hair, and droppings for extra nutrients.{{sfn|Orenstein|2012|p=237}}

Turtles generally eat their food in a straightforward way, though some species have special feeding techniques.<ref name=Firefly/> The [[yellow-spotted river turtle]] and the [[painted turtle]] may [[filter feed]] by skimming the water surface with their mouth and throat open to collect particles of food. When the mouth closes, the throat constricts and water is pushed out through the nostrils and the gap in between the jaws.{{sfn|Orenstein|2012|p=235}} Some species employ a "gape-and-suck method" where the turtle opens its jaws and expands its throat widely, sucking the prey in.<ref name=Firefly/><ref name="Van Damme 1997">{{cite journal |last1=Van Damme |first1=Johan |last2=Aerts |first2=Peter |title=Kinematics and Functional Morphology of Aquatic Feeding in Australian Snake-necked Turtles (Pleurodira;Chelodina) |journal=Journal of Morphology |volume=233 |issue=2 |pages=113–125 |year=1997 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199708)233:2<113::AID-JMOR3>3.0.CO;2-7 |pmid=9218349 |s2cid=32906130 }}</ref>{{sfn|Franklin|2011|p=30}}

The diet of an individual within a species may change with age, sex, and season, and may also differ between populations. In many species, juveniles are generally carnivorous but become more herbivorous as adults.<ref name=Firefly/>{{sfn|Orenstein|2012|p=239}} With [[Barbour's map turtle]], the larger female mainly eats mollusks while the male usually eats [[arthropod]]s.<ref name=Firefly/> [[Blanding's turtle]] may feed mainly on snails or crayfish depending on the population. The [[European pond turtle]] has been recorded as being mostly carnivorous much of the year but switching to [[Nymphaea alba|water lilies]] during the summer.{{sfn|Orenstein|2012|p=229}} Some species have developed [[Generalist and specialist species|specialized]] diets such as the hawksbill, which eats [[sponges]], the leatherback, which feeds on [[jellyfish]], and the [[Mekong snail-eating turtle]].{{sfn|Franklin|2011|p=28}}<ref name=Firefly/>