Alternation of left and right antimeres of segmental structures, generally known as the glide-
reflection symmetry, was found to be unexpectedly widespread in deuterostomes. It occurs …

The reptile skin is a barrier against water loss and pathogens and an armor for mechanical
damages. The integument of reptiles consists of two main layers: the epidermis and the …

Individual identification contributes significantly towards investigating behavioral
mechanisms of animals and understanding underlying ecological principles. Most studies …

The turtle shell is often described as an evolutionary novelty that facilitated the radiation of
the clade Testudines. The scutes, or keratinous plates, of the turtle shell are hypothesized to …

Cooper Creek is one of Australia's largest unregulated river systems and one of the world's
most variable large river systems. It is a dynamic environment that oscillates between booms …

Chelonians (turtles, tortoises, and sea turtles) grow scute keratin in sequential layers over
time. Once formed, scute keratin acts as an inert reservoir of environmental information. For …

The carapacial scute pattern of sea turtles is a conserved trait that provides taxonomic
information. But non-modal scute patterns (NMSPs), ie intraspecific individual variabilities …

The turtle shell is composed of dorsal armor (carapace) and ventral armor (plastron) covered
by a keratinized epithelium. There are two epithelial appendages of the turtle shell: scutes …

The scutes of the turtle shell are epidermal shields that begin their formation during the early
stages of shell development. Like other skin appendages, turtle scutes are hypothesized to …

Developing organisms are often exposed to fluctuating environments that destabilize tissue‐
scale processes and induce abnormal phenotypes. This might be common in species that …