Turtles and Snakes

Abstract

It is very fortunate that detailed anatomical and physiological investigations of this turtle hearing organ have been carried out. As stated in earlier chapters, this allows us to try to reconstruct the capabilities of a primitive basilar papilla and to examine the fundamental principles underlying its function. Most of these data come from a series of elegant investigations carried out by a team in Cambridge University, England (Art and Fettiplace, 1984; Art et al. 1982, 1984, 1985; Crawford and Fettiplace, 1980, 1981 a,b, 1983, 1985; Fettiplace and Crawford, 1978, 1980; Fuchs et al. 1983). The red-eared turtle is a handsome, medium-sized terrapin closely related to the painted turtles of North America. These relatively active animals are common in shallow fresh water, eating both plant and animal material (insects, snails, tadpoles and fishes). The name comes from the bright red strip of scales behind the eyes.