The origin of turtles and their uniquely shelled body plan is one of the longest standing
problems in vertebrate biology. The unfulfilled need for a hypothesis that both explains the …

The turtle shell is a remarkable structure that has intrigued not only evolutionary biologists
but also engineering and material scientists because of its multi-scale complexity and …

Extant salamanders are used as modern analogs of early digit-bearing tetrapods due to
general similarities in morphology and ecology, but the study species have been primarily …

The turtle locomotor system is heavily modified owing to the severe impact of development
of the shell on the body plan of these reptiles. Although limb and girdle osteology of the …

Introduction: The changes in knee axial rotation play an important role in traumatic and non-
traumatic knee disorders. It is known that support afferentation can affect the axial rotator …

Locomotion in water and on land impose dramatically different demands, yet many animals
successfully move in both environments. Most turtle species perform both aquatic and …

Species groups that feature traits with a low number of potentially variable (evolvable)
character states are more likely to repeatedly evolve similar phenotypes, that is …

Chelonians are mechanically unusual vertebrates as an exoskeleton limits their body wall
mobility. They generally move slowly on land and have aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyles …

Lateral undulation and trunk flexibility offer performance benefits to maneuverability,
stability, and stride length (via speed and distance traveled). These benefits make them key …

Introduction: The changes in knee axial rotation play an important role in traumatic and non-
traumatic knee disorders. It is known that support afferentation can affect the axial rotator …