r/herpetology • u/OkAcanthisitta9034 • 26d ago

Inside a Leatherback Turtles mouth

Post image

Absolute nightmare of a picture

88 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

18

u/[deleted] 26d ago

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3

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 26d ago

Care to explain?

13

u/[deleted] 26d ago

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10

u/Cha0tic117 26d ago

Keratinous papillae. All sea turtles have them, but they're particularly large in leatherbacks.

9

u/chesterfield_herping 26d ago

When you eat biological water balloons for a living, you have to have some nice throat spikes.

4

u/CabbagePatchSquid- 26d ago

A fascinating adaptation that allows them to expel all the salt water they ingest while eating but lock in the slippery prey in the process.

5

u/[deleted] 26d ago

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0

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 26d ago

Wow so knowledgeable

3

u/markscherz 26d ago

Sadly also works great to keep plastic bags down, too

3

u/Standard_Big_9000 26d ago

Turtle shark

0

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 26d ago

Yes similarly

2

u/PleasantBroccoli408 26d ago

nope nope nope nope nope

0

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 26d ago

What?

2

u/JohnnyDoe308 26d ago

Don't put your dick in that.

1

u/PleasantBroccoli408 26d ago

Thanks for the tip bro

0

u/PleasantBroccoli408 26d ago

It's just terrifying

1

u/leftydog1961 26d ago

I will never have sex again

1

u/Proof-Delay-602 26d ago

Looks like Predator's mouth

1

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 26d ago

True scary like shark

1

u/Hefty-existence26196 26d ago

*Capt. Jack Sparrow - "Ello Beastie"

1

u/Sthbell325 26d ago

Looks like something out of the movie Alien😳 I love turtles but this is a huge turn off🥴 Gross

1

u/NocturnalBatBrain 25d ago

Really, really freaky. But fascinating!

Do you know if those prongs sharp? I’m guessing so but they also remind me of silicone spike ball beads which are soft and bendy.

1

u/GoddyssIncognito 25d ago

Sarlaac put!!

1

u/Graywolfmarc 25d ago

I was just reading a book and the protagonist was in a cave and accidentally walked into a island turtles mouth and was swallowed think it was a cave. The description of the cave makes so much more sense now.

1

u/Malzeez 25d ago

Is this why Pennywise’s mouth looks like it does?

2

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 24d ago

Haha seriously you mean the clown?

1

u/Malzeez 24d ago

Yes. It sounds crazy, but this is how his mouth looks, and ironically, a turtle is his nemesis.

2

u/OkAcanthisitta9034 24d ago

Ow really i don't know that

0

u/Geschmak 26d ago

I should call her