Skeleton of turtles: features of a structure and a photo

Turtles are reptiles, which from other vertebrates are distinguished by features of the structure of the skeleton. It is believed that these unique animals lived 220 million years ago, which makes them one of the oldest reptiles, older than lizards, snakes or crocodiles. Modern science knows 327 species of turtles, and many of them are endangered.

Skeleton of a turtle: features of a structure

The turtled skeleton has distinctive features compared to any other vertebrates, in which the scapulae are located outside the chest, as in humans, large cats, elephants, goats and monkeys. The skeleton of skulls of turtles is part of the bone structure. This means that a protective shell is more than just an external coating. This is an integral part of the animal's body. When the skeleton of turtles begins to form, the shoulder blades and ribs become part of the growing shell. The skeleton consists of bones and cartilages.

As a rule, it is divided into 3 main parts:

• The skull (skull, jaw and sublingual apparatus);
• Axial skeleton of a turtle, internal or external (carapace, vertebrae, ribs and derived ribs);
• Appendicular skeleton (extremities, thoracic and pelvic structures).

Tortoise skeleton: the spine

The skeleton of the tortoise overland includes the spine along with the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal divisions. Cervical is presented in the form of 8 vertebrae, the first 2 being very mobile. Then follow 10 trunk vertebrae, fused with armored arches. In the region of the sacrum, flat transverse growths are located, to which the pelvic bones are attached. Many vertebrae are present in the tail, as a rule, not more than 33. This department is very mobile.

The skeleton of the turtle, the photo of which is presented in the article, includes an almost completely ossified skull, consisting of a brain and visceral branch. Teeth as such are absent, in their place are placed horny plates, forming a kind of beak. A unique feature of the skeleton of the turtle in comparison with other vertebrates is that the limbs are displaced under the ribs.

The uniqueness of the structure of sea turtles

Anatomy of the sea turtle is unique in that it is one of the few creatures that have both an internal and an external skeleton. In all species, with the exception of leathery, the outer frame provides protection and support for internal organs. It consists of an osseous membrane, which, in turn, is divided into two halves: the lower and upper armor plastron. The muscles are attached to the inner skeleton. Like the land, the spine of sea turtles fuses with the shell.

Long fingers in the extremities form fins, which are used for movement in water. They are also used by females to dig holes for eggs during nesting periods. In the mouth of sea turtles there are no teeth. Instead of them, there is a sharp beak, with which you can crush food. The skin of the mouth contains a number of undeveloped thorns.

Not all turtles have a hard shell

In leathery turtles the spine does not fuse with the shell and has no bone membrane, instead it is covered with hard skin and is supported by a system of tiny bones. These adaptations allow the turtle to dive to a depth of up to 1.5 km.

Interesting facts about turtles

• The tortoises' skeleton skeleton actually consists of about 50 different bones. Outwardly it resembles one solid shield, and its inner shell consists of several bones and is formed by the fusion of the ribs and vertebrae of the animal.
• From the inside, the shell is more like a thorax, which the turtle wears outside its body. Depending on the species, the dimensions of the animal, like other parameters, may differ. For example, the skeleton of the red-bellied turtle differs in the length of the limbs and tail section, the tail of the males is longer and thicker, and the shell is shorter than that of the females.

• The animal is forever riveted to his house. It is not physically able to leave it, otherwise it will lose its own spine and thorax.
• Due to extraordinarily mobile and elastic cervical vertebrae, the turtle can pull its head out of the shell or, on the contrary, hide it when it is necessary for protection.
• The skeleton of skulls of turtles includes a special mobile joint, which acts as a hinge, and allows the whole body to be drawn inward.
• Tortoise shells are not armor, although they look like hard and impenetrable shields. There are built-in nerves and blood vessels, so if an animal is injured by its protective shell, it can bleed and feel pain.
• In 1968, two Russian turtles visited space and returned unharmed, only slightly lost weight. By this they showed that any living thing can make a lunar journey.
• Despite their innocuous appearance, they can be ruthless predators. A certain type of reptile can grow up to 2.5 meters in length, weigh more than 100 kg and have powerful jaws, sharply hooked beaks, bear claws and a muscular tail. She lures her victim, sometimes it can even be another turtle, moving a tongue that looks like a worm.
• An interesting feature of these animals is also that, in the absence of vocal cords, they can still produce sounds. Most of them hiss, although you can hear a kind of grunting or cackling. The turtle does this by sharply jerking the head in such a way that the air squeezed out of the lungs comes out with a certain sound.

• They turn into real bloodhounds when excited. Sexual organs of females are hidden in their rectum, in the cavity near the tail, which is used both for reproduction and for defecation. The male easily discovers the female by the smell of pheromones secreted inside the cloaca.
• Another interesting fact about the tortoise fifth point. It turns out that you can breathe through it! In some species, the rectum is surrounded by a thin membrane, through which gas exchange can occur during immersion.
• Several species of turtles can live more than a hundred years.
• They are not as slow as they are used to think about. They are mostly herbivores, so they do not have to chase after their food. They have good, dense shells, so they do not need to flee from anyone.