Kinematic analysis of the feeding behavior in the box turtleTerrapene carolina (L.), (Reptilia: Emydidae)

Abstract

Kinematics of head, jaw, and tongue‐hyoid movements in capture and transport of mealworms by Terrapene carolina are described. Gape cycles are divided into slow‐opening, fast‐opening, fast‐closing and slow‐closing stages. The division of the slow‐opening stage into a depression of the lower jaw (SO I) and a stationary stage (SO II) during food transport is clearly related to forward movement and a pause of the tongue within the buccal cavity. Each phase is associated with a head extension and retraction cycle. Prey capture always involves lateral rotation of the head. Kinematics of capture and transport in this terrestrial chelonian share some of the basic characteristics of tetrapod feeding (tongue‐based intraoral transport, slow‐opening stage before fast‐opening). However, capture of mealworms does not involve lingual prehension, but only jaw movements. J. Exp. Zool. 277:198–212, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Analysis of prey capture and food transport kinematics in two Asian box turtles, Cuora amboinensis and Cuora flavomarginata (Chelonia, Geoemydidae), with emphasis on terrestrial feeding patterns

“…In contrast to aquatic feeding, only few studies treat the issues of terrestrial feeding kinematics in turtles (Bels et al, 1997(Bels et al, , 2008Summers et al, 1998;Wochesländer et al, 1999Wochesländer et al, , 2000. There are two methods of food uptake on land: lingual and jaw prehension (see Bels et al, 2008).…”

“…T. carolina belongs to a primitively aquatic clade within Emydidae (see Summers et al, 1998). Terrestrial food uptake in this species involves the jaws (Bels et al, 1997). The genus Cuora is ancestrally aquatic (see Claude et al, 2003 for overview).…”

“…Actinopterygii vs. Tetrapoda (Sponder and Lauder, 1980;Van Wassenbergh et al, 2006); terrestrial feeding also probably evolved independently within turtles (Summers et al, 1998). The stem turtles were terrestrial organisms, but the common ancestor of all living forms lived in fresh water (Joyce and Gauthier, 2004;Scheyer and Sander, 2007 Aquatic feeding in chelonians is well studied (Bramble, 1978;Weisgram, 1985;Bels and Renous, 1991;Lauder and Prendergast, 1992;Bels et al, 1997Bels et al, , 1998Lemell and Weisgram, 1997;Van Damme and Aerts, 1997;Summers et al, 1998;Lemell et al, 2000Lemell et al, , 2002Aerts et al, 2001). Two main mechanisms for underwater food uptake and transport have been recognised so far, compensatory suction and inertial suction (sensu Van Damme and Aerts, 1997;Aerts et al, 2001).…”

Aquatic feeding in a terrestrial turtle: a functional-morphological study of the feeding apparatus in the Indochinese box turtle Cuora galbinifrons (Testudines, Geoemydidae)

“…SO I and SO II prior to FO gape phases are found in terrestrial food transport in Testudo hermanni (Gmelin 1789) (Wochesländer et al 2000) and Terrapene carolina (Linnaeus 1758) (Bels et al 1997), but also in the IALT cycles in Malaclemys terrapin and Dermochelys coriacea (Bels et al 1998). Bels et al (2008) propose that the intraoral transport cycles are similar for all terrestrial turtles and for turtles using IALT.…”

Feeding kinematics, suction and hydraulic jetting capabilities in bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus)

“…Motta et al, 2002;Matott et al, 2005;Sasko et al, 2006;Dean et al, 2007;Nauwelaerts et al, 2007;Wilga et al, 2007). Significant work has been conducted for salamanders, which exhibit a diversity of intermediate stages between unidirectional and bidirectional suction feeding (Lauder and Shaffer, 1986;Shaffer and Lauder, 1985;Lauder and Reilly, 1988;Reilly and Lauder, 1988;Shaffer and Lauder, 1988;Miller and Larsen, 1989;Reilly and Lauder, 1990;Reilly and Lauder, 1992;Lauder and Shaffer, 1993;Deban and Wake, 2000), and for turtles and anurans (Lauder and Prendergast, 1992;Bels et al, 1997;Summers et al, 1997;Van Damme and Aerts, 1997;Deban and Olsen, 2002;Mason, 2003). This body of work has demonstrated that aquatic prey capture using inertial suction is conserved in the sequence and timing of events over a wide range of taxa.…”