Turtle Lab Flashcards
Can Franklin remove his shell?
If he has a death wish. Some of the vertebrae are directly connected to the shell.
dorsal shell
carapace
ventral shell
plastron
the plates that make up the carapace are made of ____ and called _____
keratin
scutes
soft-shelled and leatherback turtles have ____ instead of scutes
a leathery skin
Does a turtle shed its skin like a snake?
snakes shed the entire skin, turtles shed skin in pieces
the ____ plate is on the side of the turtle’s head
cutaneous (aka tympanic)
How many chambers in a turtle heart?
three if you don’t count the sinus venosus
one ventricle (partially divided by a septum) and two atria
Do oxygenated and deoxygenated blood mix in a turtle heart?
yes
pulmonary veins carry ___ blood
oxygenated
Also leaving the ventricle is the ______ ________artery, which takes partially oxygenated blood to the body.
common brachiocephalic
These two arteries, the _____ and _____ _________ are the bases of the systemic aortic arches, what was the single conus arteriosus as found in the shark.
pulmonary
common brachiocephalic
Some reptiles have a __- chambered heart
four
Turtles lack a ___ so they can’t cough, have difficulties removing liquid from their lungs, and are susceptible to infection.
diaphragm
Turtles also have ___ respiration.
cloacal
What kind of teeth do turtles have?
they can have an egg tooth as a hatchling, otherwise none
What are the two portions of a turtle stomach?
fundic and pyloric
When does the read eared slider reach sexual maturity?
2-5 for males, 8 for females
How does fertilization occur for the red eared slider?
Internal
Male has a penis
Actual fertilization only happens during egg-laying
Describe red eared slider eggs
soft, leathery
other turtles and crocodilians have harder, mineralized shells
At temperatures above 27° C, …
females develop
At temperatures between 22 and 27° C, …
males develop
At temperatures below 22°C, …
little turtle funerals
caecum
contains bacteria that help in digesting plant materials and nutrient absorption
