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Three Ways to Tackle the Turtle: Integrating Fossils, Comparative Embryology, and Microanatomy

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Morphology and Evolution of Turtles

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

Herein we review a series of case studies covering the evolution and phylogenesis of turtles, and the ontogenetic development of one of the most peculiar body plans within the Craniota. Comparative analyses of skeletal development, ontogenetic timing, and bone microstructure in both extant and extinct taxa are used to document patterns and make inferences about the origin of turtles, turtle ingroup relationships, and the evolution of turtle ontogenetic development. The need for a balanced sampling of both cryptodiran and pleurodiran turtle species for future comparative studies is highlighted.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Shigeru Kuratani (Kobe), Johannes Müller (Berlin), Uwe Fritz (Dresden), Alan Resetar (Chicago), and Janine M. Ziermann (Jena/Leiden), as well as all of their colleagues, for various help in accessing and studying specimens. Nadia Fröbisch (Chicago), James Gardner (Drumheller), Olivier Rieppel (Chicago), and Matt Vickaryous (Guelph) are thanked for their constructive comments on the manuscript. We also thank all of our collaborators and the SNSF, grant 31003A_127053/1 (to TMS), for supporting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paläntologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland

    Torsten M. Scheyer, Ingmar Werneburg, Christian Mitgutsch & Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Turin, Italy

    Massimo Delfino

  3. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain

    Massimo Delfino

Authors
  1. Torsten M. Scheyer
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  2. Ingmar Werneburg
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  3. Christian Mitgutsch
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  4. Massimo Delfino
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  5. Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra
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Correspondence to Torsten M. Scheyer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Tyrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

    Donald B. Brinkman

  2. Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Patricia A. Holroyd

  3. Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Canada

    James D. Gardner

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Scheyer, T.M., Werneburg, I., Mitgutsch, C., Delfino, M., Sánchez-Villagra, M.R. (2013). Three Ways to Tackle the Turtle: Integrating Fossils, Comparative Embryology, and Microanatomy. In: Brinkman, D., Holroyd, P., Gardner, J. (eds) Morphology and Evolution of Turtles. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4309-0_6

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