Turtles

Front 1

Unique aspects of turtles #1

Back 1

Anapsid skull (lacks temporal fenestrae)
– Recall the difficulty this made for their
evolutionary placement based on morphology.
– No teeth (keratinized sheath)

Front 2

Unique aspects of turtles #2

Back 2

Bony shell
– Carapace: dorsal (top)
– Plastron: ventral (bottom)
– Bridge: (sides that connect carapace and plastron)

Front 3

Unique aspects of turtles #3

Back 3

Pectoral and pelvic girdles contained
WITHIN rib cage

Front 4

Unique aspects of turtles #4

Back 4

cervical vertebrae

Front 5

Unique aspects of turtles #5

Back 5

Vent is longitudinal

Front 6

Unique aspects of turtles #6

Back 6

Copulatory organ: penis (male plastron
concave)

Front 7

Unique aspects of turtles #7

Back 7

Oviparous (NO parental care)

Front 8

Unique aspects of turtles #8

Back 8

Temperature-dependent sex determination

Front 9

Unique aspects of turtles #8

Back 9

Long-lived, low juvenile recruitment, small
‘r’ (K-selected life histories)
– LEADS TO MAJOR CONSERVATION CONCERN

Front 10

What is important about the turtle shell? (Aside from how cute they are!!!!!!!)

Back 10

A compromise between protection and
movement.

Front 11

Age and longevity of Turtlesssss #1

Back 11

10 – 50 years to sexual maturity.

That's a looooooong time for puberty...

Front 12

Age and longevity of Turtlesssss #2

Back 12

Routinely live to 50-80. Hellllla old.....

Front 13

Age and longevity of Turtlesssss #3

Back 13

Type III survivorship curve

Front 14

Age and longevity of Turtlesssss #4

Back 14

Records of >200 years.

Front 15

Age and longevity of Turtlesssss #5

Back 15

They do not senesce.

Front 16

Clade 1 - Suborder Pleurodira

Back 16

Side-necked Turtles
 3 families
 Laterally retractable neck
 Pelvis fused to carapace and plastron
 Living forms found in southern hemisphere
only

Front 17

Family Chelidae #1

Back 17

 ~14 genera and 52-59 species
 Neck folds into shell horizontally
 Usually have cervical scute
 Head usually without scales

Front 18

Family Chelidae #2

Back 18

~14 genera and 52-59 species
 Neck folds into shell horizontally
 Usually have cervical scute
 Head usually without scales
 Extensive temporal emargination
 Mesoplastra absent

Front 19

Family Pelomedusidae #1

Back 19

 2 genera and 19 species
 Africa, Madagascar, and Seychelles Islands
 Head retracted laterally
 No cervical scale
 Mesoplastra (2) usually
present

Front 20

Family Pelomedusidae #2

Back 20

 2 genera and 19 species
 Africa, Madagascar, and Seychelles Islands
 Head retracted laterally
 No cervical scale
 Mesoplastra (2) usually
present
 Heads usually with scales
 Emargination from front

Front 21

Family Pelomedusidae #3

Back 21

 3 genera and 8 species
 Madagascar and South America
 Head retracted laterally
 Mesoplastra (2) usually present
 No cervical scute
 Heads usually with scales

Front 22

Clade 2 - Suborder Cryptodira

Back 22

Hidden-necked Turtles
 4 superfamilies, 11 families
 Head is withdrawn by vertical flexure of neck
 Pelvic bones never fused to the plastron
 No mesoplastra

Front 23

Family Chelydridae #1

Back 23

 2 genera and 4 species
 New World: Canada to N. South America
 Size small to huge
 Shell seems too small for the body
 Reduced, cruciform plastron
 Barbels and/or other spines present
 Large head and long tail

Front 24

Family Chelydridae #2

Back 24

 5 genera and 6-7 species
 Warmer oceans of the world
 Limbs modified as flippers
 Temporal region completely roofed
 Shell covered with horny scutes
 Head withdrawal incomplete
 Size large to very large
 Lachrymal glands secrete
salt

Front 25

Family Dermochelyidae #1

Back 25

 1 genus and 1 species
 Tropical and subtropical oceans
 Forelimbs modified into flippers
 Typical shell bones mostly absent
 Shell covered with leathery skin
 Size immense

Front 26

Family Dermochelyidae #2

Back 26

Regional endothermy:
– Muscular activity creates heat;
– Small surface area/volume ratio
– Shell thick, oil saturated, non-vascularized =
insulation
– Counter current mechanism in flippers

Front 27

Family Dermatemydidae

Back 27

 1 genus and 1 species
 Mexico to Central America
 Larger river turtle with relatively small head
 Horny scutes present but thin and often
fused
 Temporal area emarginate from behind

Front 28

Family Kinosternidae #1

Back 28

 4 genera and 25 species
 New World: Canada to South America
 Plastron usually with 1 or 2 hinges
 Glands along the bridge produce stinkum
 Temporal area somewhat emarginate


Front 29

Family Kinosternidae #2

Back 29

Plastral scutes reduced to 7-11
 Barbels usually present
 Primarily aquatic
 Eat inverts, small vertebrates, carrion

Front 30

Family Carettochelyidae (Pig-nosed turtles) #1

Back 30

 1 genus and 1 species
 New Guinea and northern Australia
 Temporal area emarginate from behind
 Shell covered with skin rather than scutes

Front 31

Family Carettochelyidae (Pig-nosed turtles) #2

Back 31

 Forelimbs paddle-like
 Swims like a sea turtle
 Fleshy proboscis present

Front 32

Family Trionychidae #1

Back 32

 14 genera and 31 species
 N. America, Africa, SE Asia, India
 Shell reduced, covered by rubbery skin
 Legs long and feet extensively webbed

Front 33

Family Trionychidae #2

Back 33

 Temporal region strongly emarginate
 Jaws covered by fleshy lips
 Fleshy proboscis present

Front 34

Family Trionychidae #3

Back 34

 Necks very long
 Carnivorous

Front 35

Family Testudinidae (Tortoises) #1

Back 35

 15 genera and 58 or more species
 Warmer parts of world except Australia
 Skull short and stout
 Shell usually domed and well ossified
 Usually no more than 2 phalanges per toe

Front 36

Family Testudinidae (Tortoises) #2

Back 36

 Size variable but some very large
 Terrestrial animals
 Primarily herbivorous

Front 37

Family Emydidae #1

Back 37

12 genera and 50 species
 New World and parts of Eurasia
 Angular bone contacts Meckels cartilage


Front 38

Family Emydidae #2

Back 38

Double condyle between cervicals 5 and 6
 Usually 2 phalanges in digits 2 and 3
 Temporal area deeply emarginate

Front 39

Family Geomydidae (Bataguridae) #1

Back 39

19 genera and 70 species
 Asia, Europe, Africa, Central and South
America
 Angular bone separated from Meckels
cartilage

Front 40

Family Geomydidae (Bataguridae) #2

Back 40

Single condyle between cervicals 5 and 6
 Usually 2 phalanges in digits 2 and 3
 Temporal area deeply emarginate

Front 41

What are the characteristics unique to
turtles? (life history, morphology, ecology,
etc.)

Back 41

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Front 42

What is the first major break in the turtle
lineages and how is it defined morphologically?

Back 42

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Front 43

What are the major turtle families? Which
families have very few species or are
monotypic?

Back 43

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Front 44

What is the distribution of the major families?

Back 44

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Front 45

What major characters were identified or
represent the various families? In other
words, be able to distinguish them.

Back 45

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Front 46

What major characters were identified or
represent the various families? In other
words, be able to distinguish them.

Back 46

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