CHRONOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF TURTLE PATHOLOGY: ITS THE PITS

Reports of pathology in turtles generally involve description of isolated occurrence of abnormalities. The exception has been epidemiologic study of anomalies and avascular necrosis. The latter allowed recognition of Mesozoic diving behavior, given its presence in 50% of Cretaceous turtles. It was limited in phylogenic distribution to marine turtles. It became less common over geologic time, allowing a measure of turtle behavior and the time course of their development of strategies minimizing its occurrence.

Anomalies (e.g., dicephaly) may provide insight to environmental conditions, as has been noted in amphibians. Fractures imply behavior, such as falls or mating injuries. Bites and other forms of trauma appear to be the most common cause of bone infections. Gout, infectious arthritis, calcium pyrophosphate crystal disease and osteoarthritis have been noted only as isolated occurrences as have calcium and urate bladder stones

The most contentious of pathology in turtles, anomalies of the carapace and plaston may not even be pathology, but may represent normal variation or disease, or even an attempt at speciation. Shell pitting is perhaps the least understood pathologic phenomenon. Bites, parasites, mixed bacterial and fungal infections and even algae have been invoked as causative agents. Although reports of such alterations associated with isolation or identification of apparent pathologic organisms, it is unclear which may be responsible for which types of shell lesion. Actually, there is not even a vocabulary for their description.

We present some of the questions, solution of which should allow progress in identification of shell pathology. A library needs to be assembled of casts of the pathology, such that the macroscopic appearance can be characterized with associated etiologies – to assess which might have specificity. As this technique has worked so well for diseases affecting bone, it is suggested that the same approach should provide insight to shell disease.