Pleurodira

Taxobox
name = Side-necked turtles
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Testudines
subordo = Pleurodira
subordo_authority = Cope, 1865
subdivision_ranks = Families
subdivision =
* Podocnemidae
* Chelidae
* Dortokidae
* Eusarkiidae
* Propleuridae
* Bothremydidae
* Pelomedusidae [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl]

"Pleurodira" are a group of southern-hemisphere turtles. They are called side-necked turtles, because in order to hide their heads in their shells, they must fold their neck to the side, instead of withdrawing it directly under their spine as in Cryptodira. There are fewer Pleurodira species than Cryptodira.