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When a turtle retracts its head into its shell, does the spine buckle or contract?

April 26, 2017garden Head Home Pets reptiles retracts Shell Tortoises turtle turtles

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When a turtle retracts its head into its shell, does the spine buckle or contract?

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There are two orders of Testudines. In pleurodires, the neck vertebrae flex laterally, allowing the neck to bend and pull the head in sideways. In cryptodires, the neck vertebrae flex vertically, allowing the head to be drawn straight back within the shell.