Aldabra Tortoise Skull
Size: 4.8 x 3.1 x 2.7 in / 12.3 x 7.8 x 6.8 cm
Cost: $210
(+ shipping)
Note:
Geochlose gigantea. This large tortoise resembles,
in size and looks, the dome-shelled types of Galapagos
tortoises, and like the latter is a fairly uniform dark brown
or grayish in color. The shell is noticeably domed, formed of
horny plates with numerous concentric grooves. The plate on the
nape of the neck, absent in the Galapagos species, is almost
always evident. The head is small, the neck long and quite
strong. The legs, enormous and covered with horny scales, are
equipped with large, powerful claws. The tail is extremely
short, with a horny claw-like spur at the tip. Length of the
shell is up to four feet! Giant specimens may exceed 500
pounds. The species belongs to a group of giant tortoises that
once inhabited the islands of the Indian Ocean, including the
Comoros and Madagascar, which have long since been wiped out by
man. Today it roams wild only on the atoll of Aldabra, which
consists of four main islands. There are estimated to be some
150,000 individuals living there.
Item#: aldabra-tortoise-skullca-rb0613-va
Galapagos Tortoise Skull
Size: 14.2 x 13.4 x 3.1 in / 36 x 34 x 8 cm
Cost: $200
(+ shipping)
Note:
Geochelone Elephantopus. Galapagos tortoises
vary in size from 29 inches (shell length) and 60 pounds to 4
feet and 700 pounds. There is little variation in color,
overall dull-brown being standard. The male has concave
underside, which facilitates mating. 9,000 TO 10,000 Tortoises
survive on the Galapagos archipelago, 600 miles west of
Ecuador. Ancestors of these reptiles may have floated there on
clumps of vegetation disgorged from rivers of the continent.
Another species of giant tortoise is found on the Indian Ocean
island of Aldabra off East Africa. The giant tortoise leads a
generally peaceful, lazy life. He wakes up between 7:00 and
8:00 in the morning and basks in the sun as his bulky body
warms. The rest of the day he spends grazing and browsing. The
tortoise retires at 4 or 5 in the afternoon, spending the cool
night half submerged in mud or water or burrowed into dense
brush. This keeps the tortoise warm and the conserved body heat
probably aids digestion.
Item#: galapagos-tortoise-skull-s91-va
Alligator Snapping Turtle Skull
Note:
Chelyra Serepentine. This large turtle has an oval
shell (carapace), which is gray, brown or olive-brown, having
three prominent longitudinal ridges and a deeply serrated rear
margin. The breastplate (plastron) is relatively small,
cross-shaped, and either yellowish or brown. The head is huge,
with small eyes and extremely powerful jaws, capable of
crushing large branches in a single bite. The legs are long and
sturdy, and the feet are fully webbed. The tail is as long as
the carapace and topped with saw-toothed keels. The length of
the shell is up to 20 inches. The snapper is strictly aquatic.
It likes to settle on the bottoms of ponds, and can remain
hidden under the mud, awaiting prey, for quite long periods. It
feeds on aquatic invertebrates and plants, carrion, diseased
fish, amphibians, and even birds.
Size: 200 mm
Cost: $220
(+ shipping)
Item#: alligator-snapping-turtle-skull-sk15-va
Green Sea Turtle Skull
Size: 6.5 in / 16.5 cm
Weight: 8 oz.
Cost: $220
(+ shipping)
Note:
Chelonia mydas. The green turtle has a large,
heart-shaped shell, dark brown or olive and covered with horny
plates and four pairs of costal plates. They have a single pair
of prefrontal scales between their eyes. The horny sheath
covering the upper jaw is never curved. The legs have been
transformed into large, powerful flippers. In young individuals
there is a vertebral ridge on the carapace and two lateral
ridges on the breastplate. The shell on these turtles can be
five feet long! This turtle usually lives in areas of the sea
close to the coast, where it feeds on turtle grass and other
marine plants. There are very few areas throughout the tropics
where the green turtle can breed undisturbed. Green turtles,
like other marine turtles, return to the beaches where they
were born to nest. Females nest every two to four years. At
that time they may deposit about 100 spherical eggs from two up
to eight separate times.
Item#: green-sea-turtle-skull-ca-rb0347-va
Hawksbill Sea Turtle Skull
Size: 180mm/7.1in. 100/3.9. 100/3.9
Cost: $160
(+ shipping)
Note:
Eretemochelys Imbricata. Hawksbill Sea Turtles are the
most tropical of all sea turtles. They are found primarily in
warmer waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans from
Japan to Australia and the British Isles to southern Brazil.
They are also found in the southern waters of Florida, the Gulf
of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Hawksbill turtles nest primarily
at night, but there are reports of daytime nesting, usually on
uninhabited beaches. Although sea turtles are subject to
predation throughout their life cycle, predation is
particularly high during the first two years of life. The eggs
are eaten by ghost crabs, raccoons, skunks, opossums,
mongooses, and dogs. Hatchlings are preyed upon by mammals, sea
birds, crabs, and carnivorous fishes. Predation continues to be
high until the turtles are big enough to avoid being swallowed.
Sharks are a formidable predator throughout the life cycle of
the Hawksbill.
Item#: hawksbill-sea-turtle-skull-r-s77-va
Leatherback Turtle Skull
Note:
Demochelys coriacea. This is the largest living turtle and is
distinguished from all others by the structure of its shell
(carapace), which has no horny plates, but rather is formed
from small bony tiles, joined together in a mosaic pattern, and
embedded in its extremely strong, leathery skin. There are
seven prominent keels on the carapace. The breast plate
(plastron) is white and has five ridges. The head is large and
round, with a powerful jaw, and the legs have been transformed
into heavy flippers which lack claws. The length of the shell
of these turtles can reach an amazing seven feet! The
leatherback is a critically endangered species. Although they
are generally not eaten themselves, their eggs are highly
prized. Many leatherbacks die annually after ingesting plastic
bags and other floating trash which they confuse for jellyfish,
their primary diet. Others perish in fishing nets or from
injuries suffered from encounters with boats. These powerful
swimmers can travel great distances at sea.
Size: 14.5 in
/ 36.8 cm
Cost: $300
(+ shipping)
Item#: leatherback-turtle-skull-s305-va
Loggerhead Turtle Skull
Size: 240mm/9.4 in 190/7.5 140/5.5
Cost: $230
(+ shipping)
Note: The
loggerhead has an elongated, heart-shaped shell, reddish-brown,
covered with horny plates and with five pairs of costal plates.
The plastron is yellowish, with two longitudinal ridges in the
young. The head appears disproportionately large. The forelegs
are bigger than the hind pair, and all four have transformed
into broad, flat flippers. The shell alone can reach up to four
feet long. This is an exclusively marine species, but it also
frequents estuaries, lagoons, and coastal bays in search of
crustaceans, molluscs, and fishes. As a consequence, many of
these turtles are accidently caught in shrimp and fishing nets.
Item#: loggerhead-turtle-skull-r-s78-va
Matamata Turtle Skull
Size: 119 mm/7.5 in 115/4.5
Cost: $180
(+ shipping)
Note:
Chelus fimbriatus. A Matamata will grow to be fairly
large; turtles with a carapace length of sixteen inches have
been captured. In adults the carapace is usually black or brown
with some orange color, while the plastron ranges in color from
a light yellow to a deeper brown shade. Each individual scute
can be fairly rough in appearance, due to the way that the
scute grows. Three keels run the length of the carapace; these
keels result from the center of each scute raising up to form a
knob, with the highest knobs at the back of the carapace. The
skin of the Matamata varies from an orange-brown to a
grey-brown tone.
All of the physical features of the Matamata aid it in its
natural environment. Algae grows on the roughened carapace,
causing it to look like an old, encrusted rock. The tufts and
fringes along the neck and head may act as a type of
camouflage, breaking up the turtle's outline to further
disguise it. There is some debate as to whether or not the
flaps of skin also serve as sensory mechanisms to allow the
turtle to detect nearby movement. Finally, the color of its
shell and skin allows the Matamata to blend in to its
surroundings.
Item#: matamata-turtle-skull-r-s104-va
Ridley Sea Turtle Skull
Note: Female
turtles lay their eggs on a beach along the east coast of
Mexico. It is the only known major nesting beach in the world
for this turtle. Females nest in large groups called "arribazones".
Groups of females move onto the beach to lay their eggs over a
period of a few days. Each turtle digs a hole in the sand,
deposits her eggs, and returns to the sea. In 50-55 days, the
eggs hatch and the baby turtles (hatchlings) rush to the water
and out to sea. After at least 10 years at sea, adult females
return to nest at the same beach where they hatched. Male
turtles never leave the water. They appear in waters near the
nesting beach during the breeding season to mate with the
females. Other than that, we know little about the males.
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles are endangered because people dug up
their eggs for food. Adult turtles were killed for food, and
many have died from being tangled in large shrimp nets. Some
turtles also die from eating trash, which they mistake for
food.
Item#: ridley-sea-turtle-skull-r-s352-va
Please
contact us for an estimate on a delivery date. We do not
keep this item stocked, but instead create it when an
order has been placed. Delivery may be contingent upon
our production schedule.
