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Explore the fascinating world of tropical turtles through their unique skeletal anatomy, notably the ossified carapace. Discover the differences between Crytodires and Pleurodires, as well as various species like the Amazonian Mata Mata and the endangered Kemp’s Ridley. Learn about their nesting behaviors, migratory patterns, and the conservation initiatives aimed at protecting these remarkable creatures. Witness the life stages of turtles from hatching to adulthood and the ecological significance they hold in our aquatic environments.
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TROPICAL TURTLES 5-4-10 Tanks of the Tropics
Cryptodires (l) pull their heads in straight; pleurodires (r) pull their sideways
Kinosternon scorpiodes, Belize. Note the three dorsal ridges.
Sliders, Trachemys scripta, used as percussion instruments by the Garifuna.
Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, Lepidochelys kempi: highly endangered.
Kemp’s Ridley Turtle tracks for nesting (l), and Loggerhead Turtle hatchling tracks (r).
Leatherback Turtle hatchlings. Upper is just hatched and alive; others were dead (hatched out in daylight and were killed by Black vultures). Matura Beach, Trinidad.
Remains of nests are common. When shells are scattered about, it is the result of predation. Normally hatching nests have the shells underground.
It is not uncommon for sea turtles to have a bite taken out of a flipper.
Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, project to protect Kemp’s Ridley Turtle nests.
Leatherback Turtle mouth and pharynx showing spikes that aid in capture the preferred prey, jellyfish.
Galápagos Tortoise, Geochelone elephantophis, on Santa Cruz.
Galápagos Tortoise with a “high shell,” presumably evolved to allow the head to stretch high to eat high cactus pads on Barrington Island.