Roz Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Article Here Found a pic of it on another site... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Great article! I especially like this picture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 "Exactly why turtles evolved their shell remains a mystery..." Uh, protection against predators? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 "Exactly why turtles evolved their shell remains a mystery..."Uh, protection against predators? I think they did it for the chicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 "their body plan is the world's oldest, changing little over 200 million years"... aaah, the lingulids have been around since the Cambrian; and they have undergone relatively little change since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 "their body plan is the world's oldest, changing little over 200 million years"... aaah, the lingulids have been around since the Cambrian; and they have undergone relatively little change since then. Score one for Solius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 ^The "spineless" get no respect in this day of megafauna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Oh, come on, what would the lingulids be without the linguboxes? And turtles didn't evolve their shells. Every third grader knows that big she shells' critters die off and the turtles move into their shells, switching shells as they get bigger. Sheesh. Don't ya'll read wikis? My other theory is that the shells existed first and evolved into having turtles in them so they could move around more. They were bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 thanks roz i always wondered about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 ^The "spineless" get no respect in this day of megafauna. lol yea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I think they did it for the chicks. well i would have to say they did it for protection, the first few shells allowed for the turtles to live longer and over the 200 million years the shells became larger and in some cases thicker. Most turtles will hide in their shells if you pick them up i think this is a sign of them using the shells for protection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Very cool article Roz! Ya know that 2nd picture in the diagram looks a bit like an ankylosaur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 The turlte in it's shell can be interesting study, but me I'm still looking for turtle teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Lance, yes it does a bit. Grandpa Dino, I didn't know turtles had teeth back then since they don't now. Couldn't find a pic either. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 well i would have to say they did it for protection, the first few shells allowed for the turtles to live longer and over the 200 million years the shells became larger and in some cases thicker. Most turtles will hide in their shells if you pick them up i think this is a sign of them using the shells for protection That comment was more of a evolution joke, I agree with you. I think there is no question in saying it was a defense mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 I have searched for an hour, and cannot find one fossilized turtle tooth. I found an article that mentions them is all. They must be really rare, so good luck, Grandpa Dino! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 actually, there is an explanation for turtle shells that most are unaware of. The major point is that they're still evolving, but they're "stuck" in the process because of an almost complete extinction of the environmental stimulus which prompted their adaptive change. You may have noticed that turtle shells are wide, rounded, and somewhat smooth, for the most part. You may have also noted that some of them appear flatter on the bottom, and more curved on the top, which is almost like a wing in cross section, implying if they were to be rapidly spun through the air sideways, they would have aerodynamic lift, which would be an advantage in preventing hard landings. OK, now bear with me whilst I build the other side of this card house. OK, suppose a predator hunting turtles had no teeth, and therefore took to catching them by grabbing by the tail and slinging them sideways. Does the term "frisbee" come to mind? I thought it would. Basically, turtles evolved their shells because they knew someday they'd have to deal with turtleman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Me thinks 'twood be a fearsome visage! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 I am plain confused then. Read an article on MSN encarta that says todays turtles don't have teeth, but that one sure does. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I am plain confused then. Read an article on MSN encarta that says todaysturtles don't have teeth, but that one sure does. That's a great big Leatherback; the "teeth" are actually bristles, evolved for eating jellyfish. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 That's a great big Leatherback; the "teeth" are actually bristles, evolved for eating jellyfish. Thanks for clearing that up. The bristles sure could pass for teeth. I can rest now.... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 11, 2008 Author Share Posted October 11, 2008 Someone on a reptile forum posted this link of a great pdf, with lots of info, and really good pictures on early turtles. Seems Germany may have some great ones. The pdf is HUGE, so u might want to save first. Turtle pdf here Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Found some more info in recent news: Find it HERE!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Learning by video, isn't it grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Learning by video, isn't it grand. lol nice nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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