Addressing the Problem of Poorly Preserved Zoological Specimens: A Case Study with Turtles

We present a new use for a poorly preserved turtle specimen that teachers can easily use in demonstrating vertebrate anatomy or adaptive herpetology at the high school or college level. We give special attention to illustrating the sigmoid flexure of the neck as certain turtles withdraw their heads. This ability is anatomically and biologically important in that it protects the turtle from predators and is one of the major anatomical radiations that occurred in turtle evolution. The lesson also demonstrates how turtles, whose anatomy is confined within a rigid compartment, have their organs arranged and how adaptive strategies overcome this spatial constraint.