OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate Haemogregarine parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemogregarinidae) of freshwater turtles (Lissemys punctata andersoni, Geoclemys hamiltonii) of India. METHODS Turtles were collected by net from two ponds of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. A small amount of blood was taken from the subcarapacial vein puncture site. The blood smears were prepared...

Although the orientation cues used by hatchling sea turtles have been studied extensively, little is known about the mechanisms of orientation and navigation that guide older turtles. To investigate the orientation cues used by juvenile loggerheads Caretta caretta L., captured turtles were tethered in a water-filled arena located outdoors. Turtles tested under these conditions established and m...

BACKGROUND Laboratory and field experiments have provided evidence that sea turtles use geomagnetic cues to navigate in the open sea. For instance, green turtles (Chelonia mydas) displaced 100 km away from their nesting site were impaired in returning home when carrying a strong magnet glued on the head. However, the actual role of geomagnetic cues remains unclear, since magnetically treated gr...

Despite much interest in amniote systematics, the origin of turtles remains elusive. Traditional morphological phylogenetic analyses place turtles outside Diapsida-amniotes whose ancestor had two fenestrae in the temporal region of the skull (among the living forms the tuatara, lizards, birds and crocodilians)-and allied with some unfenestrate-skulled (anapsid) taxa. Nonetheless, some morpholog...

Specialization for a new habitat often entails a cost to performance in the ancestral habitat. Although aquatic lifestyles are ancestral among extant cryptodiran turtles, multiple lineages, including tortoises (Testudinidae) and emydid box turtles (genus Terrapene), independently specialized for terrestrial habitats. To what extent is swimming function retained in such lineages despite terrestr...

Several species of freshwater turtles spend the winter submerged in ice-covered lakes in a state of severe metabolic depression. It has been proposed that the hibernating turtles are comatose and entirely unresponsive, which raises the question of how they detect the arrival of spring and whether they respond to sensory information during hibernation. Using evoked potential studies in cold hypo...

A total of 3528 specimens of freshwater turtles belonging to two families viz., Geoemydidae (Brown River Turtle, Kachuga smithi; Indian Saw-backed turtle, K. tecta; Brahminy Rrive Turtle, Hardella thurgi; Spotted Pond Turtle, Geoclemys hamiltonii) and Trionychidae (Indian Soft-shell Turtle, Aspederates gangeticus; Peacock Soft-shell Turtle, A.hurum; Narrow-headed Soft-shell Turtle, Chitra indic...

Studies of embryonic and hatchling reptiles have revealed marked plasticity in morphology, metabolism, and cardiovascular function following chronic hypoxic incubation. However, the long-term effects of chronic hypoxia have not yet been investigated in these animals. The aim of this study was to determine growth and postprandial O2 consumption (V̇o2), heart rate (fH), and mean arterial pressure ...

OBJECTIVE To describe a coelioscopic-assisted prefemoral oophorectomy technique for use in chelonians. DESIGN Descriptive report. ANIMALS 11 adult female turtles (6 red-eared sliders, 2 box turtles, 1 painted turtle, 1 four-eyed turtle, and 1 Chinese red-necked pond turtle). Five turtles required oophorectomy because of reproductive tract disease; the remaining 6 underwent elective oophorec...

The inaccessibility of open ocean habitat and the cryptic nature of small animals are fundamental problems when assessing the distribution of oceanic-stage sea turtles and other marine animals sharing similar life-history traits. Most methods that estimate patterns of abundance cannot be applied in situations that are extremely data limited. Here, we use a movement ecology framework to generate...