The External, Musculoskeletal and Neuro-Anatomy of Sea Turtles
75
2.6 CONCLUSIONS
This chapter provides the foundations and references to make the gross structure
and the bone–muscle–nerve complexes of marine turtles accessible and understandable. Although descriptive anatomy will always have its place in science, it is what
the anatomy tells us that is particularly interesting. Suites of structures interact with
one another and the turtle’s environment. The structures define what is physically
possible for an animal and what is not. With the marine turtles, this is illustrated
most clearly by their body form. The head and limbs cannot be tucked within the
protective carapace; however, that functional loss enhanced streamlining, an essential
feature for highly migratory marine animals. Similarly, the flipper blades, formed
from almost ridiculously long digits, support little weight on land. Yet they are most
effective acting as wings and paddles in the water, accelerating the water around
them to move the turtles along. The patterns in which the flippers move are defined
by their bones, muscles, and nerves. There is still much to learn about innervations.
Other aspects of anatomy such as body form and color betray the different
behavioral and ecological strategies of different species. The countershading of
young green turtles, the cryptic browns of young loggerheads nestled in browns and
tans of flotsam, and the mottled black and white of leatherbacks in deep water make
their outlines seem to disappear. The wealth of questions brought forward by the
anatomy will remain a rich resource to help us better understand the integrated
biology of marine turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Access to specimens was provided by R. Boettcher, M. Bresette, L. Csuzdi, N.
DiMarco, S. Epperly, K. Fick, A. Foley, J. Foote, C. Harms, K. Hart, H. Horta,
C. Johnson, C. Manire, J. Braun McNeill, N. Mette, J. Parsons, R. Prescott, P.C.H.
Pritchard, T. Redlow, K. Rusenko, C. Ryder, K. Singel, M. Snover, T. Sposato,
W. Teas, M. Walsh, P. Wells, L. Wood, the Cayman Turtle Farm, Chelonian
Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gumbo
Limbo Environmental Center, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, The
Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, Mote Marine Laboratory, National Marine
Fisheries Service — Beaufort Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service —
Miami Laboratory, North Carolina Wildlife Commission, Philadelphia Academy
of Sciences, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. F. Steinberg and University
MRI, Inc. provided the machine time and technical expertise (D. Wilke) for the
MRI and CT images. T.H. Frazzetta, P.C.H. Pritchard, M. Salmon, and K. Stewart
provided thoughtful discussions. M. Salmon improved the quality of the manuscript and showed his endurance by reading through several drafts. Illustrations
were created by D. Witherington. The research for this chapter was funded, in
part, by grants or contracts to the author by the NMFS, the National Science
Foundation (OISE 0124271), an FAU Research Initiation Award, and the Nelligan
Sea Turtle Fund, which enabled components of this chapter to be written and/or
refined. Personal funds were also used to complete this work.
1123_C02.fm Page 75 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:16 AM
75
2.6 CONCLUSIONS
This chapter provides the foundations and references to make the gross structure
and the bone–muscle–nerve complexes of marine turtles accessible and understandable. Although descriptive anatomy will always have its place in science, it is what
the anatomy tells us that is particularly interesting. Suites of structures interact with
one another and the turtle’s environment. The structures define what is physically
possible for an animal and what is not. With the marine turtles, this is illustrated
most clearly by their body form. The head and limbs cannot be tucked within the
protective carapace; however, that functional loss enhanced streamlining, an essential
feature for highly migratory marine animals. Similarly, the flipper blades, formed
from almost ridiculously long digits, support little weight on land. Yet they are most
effective acting as wings and paddles in the water, accelerating the water around
them to move the turtles along. The patterns in which the flippers move are defined
by their bones, muscles, and nerves. There is still much to learn about innervations.
Other aspects of anatomy such as body form and color betray the different
behavioral and ecological strategies of different species. The countershading of
young green turtles, the cryptic browns of young loggerheads nestled in browns and
tans of flotsam, and the mottled black and white of leatherbacks in deep water make
their outlines seem to disappear. The wealth of questions brought forward by the
anatomy will remain a rich resource to help us better understand the integrated
biology of marine turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Access to specimens was provided by R. Boettcher, M. Bresette, L. Csuzdi, N.
DiMarco, S. Epperly, K. Fick, A. Foley, J. Foote, C. Harms, K. Hart, H. Horta,
C. Johnson, C. Manire, J. Braun McNeill, N. Mette, J. Parsons, R. Prescott, P.C.H.
Pritchard, T. Redlow, K. Rusenko, C. Ryder, K. Singel, M. Snover, T. Sposato,
W. Teas, M. Walsh, P. Wells, L. Wood, the Cayman Turtle Farm, Chelonian
Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gumbo
Limbo Environmental Center, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, The
Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, Mote Marine Laboratory, National Marine
Fisheries Service — Beaufort Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service —
Miami Laboratory, North Carolina Wildlife Commission, Philadelphia Academy
of Sciences, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. F. Steinberg and University
MRI, Inc. provided the machine time and technical expertise (D. Wilke) for the
MRI and CT images. T.H. Frazzetta, P.C.H. Pritchard, M. Salmon, and K. Stewart
provided thoughtful discussions. M. Salmon improved the quality of the manuscript and showed his endurance by reading through several drafts. Illustrations
were created by D. Witherington. The research for this chapter was funded, in
part, by grants or contracts to the author by the NMFS, the National Science
Foundation (OISE 0124271), an FAU Research Initiation Award, and the Nelligan
Sea Turtle Fund, which enabled components of this chapter to be written and/or
refined. Personal funds were also used to complete this work.
1123_C02.fm Page 75 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:16 AM