Carapace

The age score used in the field consisted of three categories (1-3). A horseshoe crab was marked as (1) if its eyes were still very clear, and if its prosoma showed no signs of epibionts, had a lustrous sheen to it and a mottled pattern of black colored lines. A horseshoe crab marked as (2) had obvious mating scars if female, had some epibionts, and while it still showed a lustrous carapace, it was starting to show wear and tear, the mottling was not as apparent and the eyes were also not quite as clear as a one. In order to be marked as (3), the horseshoe crab had to look much more worn, with larger numbers of epibionts, and a worn shell that lost its lustrous qualities and no longer had any…

meaning “a turtle or tortoise.” Referring to the carapace of some individuals, the generic name describes the distinctly circular shape of some turtles in the species complex. Derived from the Latin root word dentat, the species name, dentata, means “toothed.” A term characterizing a physical attribute, dentata refers to the serrated marginal scutes of the hatchlings and juveniles of C. dentata. Ordinarily, as the turtle matures, the edges of these marginal scutes transform shape from serrated…

Section 1: Effects of “Swim with the Turtles” Tourist Attractions on Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Health in Barbados, West Indies Kimberly Stewart, Terry Norton, Harwich Mohammed, Darren Browne, Kathleen Clements, Kirsten Thomas, Taylor Yaw, and Julia Horrocks Section 2: Green sea turtles tend to change their diets as they age. Green sea turtles start life as omnivores in pelagic water, but once their carapace length reaches 20 to25cm they move to coastal regions; their diet, then shifts…

Superclass Crustacea Crustaceans are predominantly marine arthropods that first appeared in the early Cambrian. They are ecologically diverse, filling the roles of benthic deposit feeders, pelagic and sessile suspension feeders, scavengers, predators. Crustaceans are morphologically diverse as well: segmentation may vary, limbs are typically more specialized than those of Trilobitomorpha and still vary among subgroups. (Robison and Kaesler, 1987) The diversity of crustacean morphology has…

2014) The Olive Ridley was named after its olive green, heart shaped shell. (Olive Ridley Project) Hatchlings appear as black with green hues on their sides and then later develop their nice olive tone. Olive Ridleys have 5-9 costal scutes (this separates them from the Kemp’s Ridley) and they have 1-2 claws on their flippers. (NOAA, 2014) Olive Ridleys have a thin carapace without ridges and under the carapace the turtles have yellow highlights (adults). The males and females can be…

The first phase is the growth of a rib primordium that turns into a rib bone during its embryotic development. The second phase, which differs from most land vertebrates, is the development of a “shelf of bone” above the shaft of the rib bone to form the unique T-shape. The final phase is the development of its teardrop-like shape, which is caused by the widening of the lower ridge of the ribs, which also reinforces the rib. History has shown that the third phase is unique only to the…

eptiles are very sneaky, some of them are I hope you enjoy. Snakes Snakes have very slippery scales. They are carnivores (meat eaters), they will even eat other snakes! They do not have eyelids so they never blink. Snakes have to swallow their prey whole and there jaws are very flexible so they will eat almost anything they can get their jaws on. Snakes are found on every continent in the world except Antarctica. Lizards Lizards can detach their tails if caught by a predator. Some can…

I learned more about the tortoise and iguanas living on the Galapagos Islands from this exhibit. I thinks it’s really cool the marine iguanas on the Galapagos islands have evolved to excrete salt through their nasal cavity. By excreting salt, these iguanas are able to be herbivores eating algae while diving underwater. Another cool fact is that the male marine iguana can dive up to 30ft and can spend close to an hour underwater. I learned more about the difference in carapaces between tortoises…

I have a one-year old female red ear slider turtle that is about two inches in length. I will begin from the top of her head down to her tail. Her head is what makes her distinct to the type of turtle she is. My turtle is a female so in this case she has a pointed shape to her nose. Her head is green in color with light green and yellow vertical stripes that run all the way around her face. The skin almost has a scaly texture. Moving from her eyes down to the area that covers her ears you will…

turtles can reach lengths of 29 inches (73.7 centimeters) and 249 pounds (112.9 kilograms), while females can reach lengths of 22 inches (55.9 centimeters) and 62 pounds (28.1 kilograms) (Ewert et al. 2006, Pritchard 2006). They are usually identified by three spine-like ridges that run along the back of their shell. On one end of the shell lies a large rough crown with a set of powerful jaws. Its eyes are located on either side of the turtle’s hooked beak. On the other side of the shell lies a…