![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Female northern map turtle. The round head is a tip off to gender. Females in that species grow hypertrophied jaw muscles, and the jaws/pallets are modified to crush mussels and large snails. Males have narrow heads and eat insects, crustaceans and softer bodied prey that don't require specialized jaws and jaw musculature.
All photos are copyrighted and may not be used without permission (GG Nature Photo, gordg3@comcast.net)