Boney Armor

Ever wondered why slow-paced turtles inspired action-fighting super heroes? A closer look at turtle shells may give you a clue! The shell is made up of modified vertebrae and wide ribs. The many bones you see in this micro-CT image of the top of a Kemp's ridley sea turtle shell are fused together by flexible zig-zag sutures. This boney arrangement is unique to turtles, and we're interested in how these complex shield-like bone structures respond to forces.