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Turtles are fascinating creatures, and one of their most remarkable features is their respiratory system. Unlike other vertebrates, turtles have a fixed, protective shell, which makes it impossible for them to have flexible ribs that allow their lungs to expand and contract. But turtles have found ingenious ways to breathe, both on land and in water.

 

The lungs of turtles lie just beneath their carapace and above their internal organs. Muscles change the volume of the abdominal cavity, and by doing so, turtles can breathe in and out. When turtles move their limbs, it promotes the suction and compression actions that ventilate the lungs. It's no coincidence that turtles often move their legs in and out when floating on top of the water – it helps them breathe.

 

Another method that turtles use to breathe is the hyoid apparatus, a system of bony and cartilaginous rods located at the base of the tongue. By raising and lowering the hyoid apparatus, a turtle's throat rises and falls, pulling in air. This movement also allows turtles to better use their sense of smell.

 

But for highly aquatic soft-shell turtles, the throat lining is equipped with fingerlike projections of skin called villi. These villi work like gills, expelling carbon dioxide and taking in oxygen from the water. Soft-shells use their hyoid apparatus to repeatedly fill and empty their throat in a process called buccopharyngeal breathing. It helps them process oxygen-rich water underwater. Soft-shells typically pump water in and out about sixteen times per minute.

 

Turtles that hibernate underwater also exchange gases through the throat lining, cycling the water inside the throat cavity several times each minute. Some turtles even take in oxygen through the cloaca.

 

In conclusion, turtles have a unique respiratory system that allows them to breathe both on land and in water. From using their limbs to move air in and out of their lungs, to using their hyoid apparatus to draw in air or to process oxygen-rich water, turtles are capable of adapting to various environments. It's no wonder they've survived for over 200 million years!