The turtle Skeleton is a beautiful, decorative sculpture. Its composition consists of a series of polished pebbles interspersed with glass, wood, and various types of seashells. Its base is comprised of resin that is cut to the proper size of the turtle, as well as some type of plaster to help protect it from rust. The turtle’s plastron (or lower shell) also helps to complete the look of the Skeleton.
The reason for creating the Skeleton was to reproduce an actual natural occurrence. Skeletons do indeed appear in nature when observing certain animals. For instance, a turtle will often cover its shell with sand in order to camouflage itself. In many cases, this sand serves as a way to create a false eye. But a turtle skeleton can also be used to explain a variety of other phenomena. For example, in this article we’ll discuss how a turtle skeleton can illustrate the evolution of life on earth.
The first stage of evolution is called the Cambrian stage and lasts about six million years or so. At this time, there were no visible land plants or animal debris. Therefore, the sea must have supplied the shells for the first stage of turtle evolution. In fact, it is possible to determine when the first turtle met its end through the discovery of fossilized shells. When it became apparent that all previous forms of turtle had died off due to predators, it became necessary to find another way for these animals to reproduce.
At the Triassic period, there were no modern living things in the ocean. This means that the ocean must have been an extremely hostile environment for these sea turtles. The first stage of evolution would have been a very dangerous place indeed. However, it also meant that they were capable of evolving into more diverse creatures. Through the ensuing Triassic period, the land plants and animals began to dominate the seas, and the Triassic period ended with the mass extinction of various forms of marine reptile. It is these fossils that show us the beginning of the turtle’s evolution.
The modern day turtle skeleton is very different from the original sea turtle skeleton. Its exact size and shape have changed considerably over the years. While the first known specimen was only around thirty-seven inches long, today’s tortoise can be as large as one meter in length! Today’s tortoiseshells lack their trademark amorphous form, but instead have their solid carapace form. The plastron, or inner shell, is generally made out of Styrofoam.
Unlike the amorphous form of a turtle shell, in which a hard outer shell covers a soft interior, the plastron is very solid. This makes it very difficult to open. Plastrons are covered with bony plates which protect the internal parts of the shell. The bony plates are made out of osteoplasties – the same type of bone structure that humans have.
At the end of the plastron, there is a hole that leads to the inside of the turtle’s shell. In modern day turtles, the plastron is divided into two areas – the ventral rib and the dorsal rib. The ventral rib is directly attached to the neck of the turtle while the dorsal rib is located on the back of the turtle’s neck.
All modern turtles have three types of shell: the carapace, the plastron and the trunk ribs. Carapace shells evolved before the split between reptile and land reptiles, while the plastron evolved later in the evolution of turtles. Trunk ribs, which are found along both sides of the turtle body, are generally not present in all species of turtles, though some species such as the Galapagos turtle do have them.