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Comparative Kinematics Of The Forelimb During Swimming In Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys Scripta) And Spiny Softshell (Apalone Spinifera) Turtles, Cinnamon M. Pace, Richard W. Blob, Mark W. Westneat

Publications

Softshell turtles (Family Trionychidae) possess extensive webbing between the digits of the manus, suggesting that the forelimb may serve as an effective thrust generator during aquatic locomotion. However, the hindlimb has previously been viewed as the dominant propulsive organ in swimming freshwater turtles. To evaluate the potential role of the forelimb in thrust production during swimming in freshwater turtles, we compared the forelimb morphology and three-dimensional forelimb kinematics of a highly aquatic trionychid turtle, the spiny softshell Apalone spinifera, and a morphologically generalized emydid turtle, the red-eared slider Trachemys scripta. Spiny softshells possess nearly twice as much forelimb surface area …