This week, we were lucky enough to examine two turtles which had been donated to the RVC. Turtles, tortoises and terrapins belong to a group of reptiles called Testudines or chelonians, which is thought to be one of the very oldest groups of reptiles. They have (slowly) walked the Earth for more than 220 million…
Month: December 2015
No bones about it! What are skeletons?
Skeletons aren’t just bony figures with a skull, ribs and bandy legs that jump out of closets and ask for sweets at Hallowe’en. In fact, many skeletons have no bones at all! Let’s take a far and wide look at skeletons… Skeletons fulfil at least four basic functions – they support the body’s structure against gravity or other…
Mouth of a brittle star, Ophiocoma echinata
Five mouth parts of a brittle star, with teeth. Brittle stars often eat detritus and sometimes filter organic particles in the water column. This specimen was collected in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Image: LSR
Anatomy To You 