A Little Bit More
Although the development of a shell has limited the variety of evolutionary changes turtles have been able to make, it seems to have been a particularly successful structure, serving turtles well for over 185 million years! The evolution of the turtle's shell is not entirely clear as no transitional form has yet been found in the fossil record. But an understanding of how the turtle shell probably evolved and developed is possible by studying embryonic turtles (turtles developing within the egg).
While still in the egg, each baby turtle begins as a "typical" reptile and then changes as its shell begins to form. The embryonic ribs begin to grow so rapidly that they eventually outgrow and enclose the pectoral and pelvic girdles (shoulder and hip bone frames), forming the upper shell (carapace) and lower shell (plastron). The backbone, except for the neck and tail, is no longer distinct but fuses with the flattened ribs, forming a rigid bony case for the vital organs. Despite what cartoons show, a turtle can't crawl out of its own shell, any more than you could crawl out of your skeleton!
The turtle's shell requires changes in breathing action. Breathing in most of the higher animals involves chest expansion. This is not possible for turtles, but they use other muscles to perform the task. Two flank (side) muscles contract and make the body cavity around the lungs larger, permitting an inrush of air. Air is expelled when 2 pairs of belly muscles press body organs against the lungs.
The terms "turtle", "tortoise", and "terrapin" often cause confusion. In general, turtle refers to all shelled reptiles. If we want to be more technical, "tortoise" refers to land turtles (like box turtles) and "terrapin" (TAIR-ah-pin), is applied to certain edible turtles (like the Diamondback Terrapin). The common Painted Turtle is referred to as a freshwater turtle while the well-known Green Turtle is a marine turtle.
Activities
Making wrapping paper
Objectives: Use patterns and colors from nature to create own wrapping paper
Materials: Reference material, coloring materials and brown wrapping or kraft paper
If you take a look at the turtle on the poster, you'll notice a pattern on its shell. If you look up a color picture of an Eastern Box Turtle, you'll see that it has a Halloween-like color scheme. Animals have an enormous range of patterns and colors that can be drawn upon for inspiration. If you think of the giraffe, leopard, Spotted Salamander, Coral Snake, fish scales, a whole host of animals, you'll see a wide variety of interesting patterns and colors to choose.
Have your students select a pattern/color from an animal they find interesting and have them produce their own unique wrapping paper using that selection. Finding reference material to get started will require that students choose carefully to find what they can transfer to their own creation (looking for bold, simpler patterns may work better than those that are too complex). You may wish to provide a few examples of patterns just to get them started in their search and then not allow those "examples" as subject matter.
It would be fun for the students to display their patterns for all to see and then see how many can identify the animal used as inspiration for their special paper.
Once their wrapping paper has been created, have them put is aside to use for that "special gift" for someone in their family.
Key Concepts
Structures and Functions
Questions
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Posted by sarah smith on June 03, 2006 at 12:00 AM
Q: hi, i just picked up a turtle in a parking lot i was afraid he was going to be hit. he has a hinged shell, is med-brown and gold in color and has orange comma shaped dots on both sides of his head, the scales on the front of his legs are gold and he has brown and gold eyes, his underside is creamy yellow along with his bottom jaw, could you tell me what kind of box turtle he is?
A: Wow, nice description! Sounds like it's the Eastern Box Turtle. This species is found in Kentucky and is most likely the one you have. Great that you "saved" it from certain death in the parking lot. Adult males have red eyes and adult females have brown or yellowish eyes so you may have a female. Maybe she was looking for a place to lay eggs? If you plan on releasing her, find a location where there is a nice wooded area with moist ground cover. Thanks for asking.
Posted by jen bevan on April 17, 2006 at 09:15 AM
Q: How many babies does an eastern glass lizard have?
A: An Eastern Glass Lizard lays 8-17 eggs and these hatch in about 2 months with the female remaining with the eggs during this time. Glass Lizards are interesting animals and, as you would expect, are usually misidentified as snakes. Like all lizards, they have eye lids (can open/close their eyes) and ear openings. Thanks for asking.
Posted by Tiffany Gibson on April 13, 2006 at 09:11 PM
Q: can a turtle leave it's shell and find another?
A: Many people have wondered about this. A turtle is connected to its shell in the same way you are connedted to your bones. So no, a turtle can not get out of its shell and find another. The turtel's shell is part of its body and grows right along with its arms and legs. Thanks for asking Tiffany.
Posted by Lea on March 23, 2004 at 12:44 AM
Q: My son just got a white hamster. Its skin is pink and its eyes are pink. Is this an albino hamster? If so is this rare? The people at the pet shop didn't say anything about it and I didn't notice the pink eyes until we had gotten home. If it is an albino, is there anything special we need to do for it? Thank you.
A: Yes, it sounds like an albino. Breeders know that people like all-white animals and often put real effort into producing albino pets. If there is no pigment at all on your hamster, it's a pure albino - the pink you see on its iris is actually blood that is not masked by pigment. There are albino animals in the wild from time to time but these are usually weeded out rather quickly as they are not as well adapted; certainly predators find them more easily (they don't blend in well). However, there are many cases where an albino deer, squirrel, American Robin etc. lives well into adulthood. I live in upstate New York and there is a White-tailed Deer population within a huge fenced-in army area that is mostly albino or partially albino (granted, this is a rather isolated area). Keep in mind that albinos are more sensitive to light so keep your hamster in an area with subdued light, certainly no direct sunlight. Enjoy!
Posted by Michelle Brodbeck on November 18, 2003 at 09:51 AM
Q: My son was given a spotted salamander, and 2 days later he is really sick showing signs of salmonella, I am thinking it is from the salamander. Would this be a good guess? should we release this salamander in our wooded area?
A: The following was obtained from the Center for Diseas Control CDC: Salmonellosis is an infection with a bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.
I hope you're having a doctor look at your son and assume you're going to have tests so you know for sure what your son has? I've not heard that amphibians harbor this disease, it's more often reptiles that are the carriers. However, young children are not encouraged to have pets that may be carriers as they're not careful about hygiene (their hands should be washed after any handling of their pet). You're going to have trouble keeping your Spotted Salamander alive over the winter so it would be best to release it in appropriate habitat anyway. Be sure to do this while temperatures are above freezing. Best to your son.
Posted by Alex on June 29, 2003 at 12:39 PM
Q: Is it safe to have a box turtle for a pet?
What do the box turtles eat?
A: The big concern with turtles as pets is the possibility of getting sick from Salmonella (a kind of bacteria). If you wash your hands after handling your turtle and don't put your hands in your mouth until you do, you shouldn't have any problems. I had many, many turtles as I was growing up and never had any problems.
Box turtles love earthworms, various leafy plants like lettuce or spinach, fruits and even snails/slugs. Be sure you provide a variety of foods so your turtle gets proper nourishment. Think about what your turtle might find in a natural setting and you'll probably have a good idea of what foods it can eat.
Posted by T.L. on June 27, 2003 at 04:02 PM
Q: Our 50-yr old female dessert tortoise laid 5 eggs today. They appear to be clear inside. Does this mean they were not fertile? Her 'boyfriend' of several years may not be old enough to help fertilize them. thanks in advance for your info.
A: Knowing whether the eggs are fertile or not can't be determined by looking at the eggs initially. A normal egg, whether fertile or not, looks the same - the only difference is a single sperm cell in the fertile egg. If I were you, I'd treat the eggs as if they are fertile and proceed from there. Good luck!
Posted by Jim Berry on December 13, 2001 at 02:24 PM
Q: Once I found an eastern box turtle with white skin, red eyes and a very colorful shell. Could this have been an albino.
A: The turtle you found was a partial albino. To be totally albino, an animal has no pigment anywhere on its body and is white or pink (where the blood shows through the skin or eyes, ie. white mice). Many animals are only partially albino with some organs lacking pigment while other organs have normal pigments. Your turtle sounds strange looking - I've never seen an albino turtle before. One of the reasons albino animals are so rare is that most never make it to adulthood. You were fortunate to have seen this interesting turtle.