Circulatory System Turtle
Circulatory System Turtle
Circulatory System Turtle
org
Circulatory Anatomy
The circulatory anatomy includes the heart, arteries,
veins, and lymphatic vessels. The heart is
multichambered and serves as the main pump.
Arteries have thick walls of muscles and elastic fibers;
they carry blood away from the heart.Veins carry
blood to the heart; they have thinner layers of muscle
and elastic tissues and tend to collapse in dead animals.
Most veins contain valves. The lymphatic vessels
transport tissue fluid from outside the circulatory
system back to the blood. The lymphatic vessels are
very thin walled and difficult to photograph. They
surround the arteries and veins like sheaths.
Heart. The heart is located within the pericardium
and bordered ventrally by the acromion and coracoid
processes (Figs. 127-129). Dorsally it is bordered by
brachiocephalic
trunk
left aorta
right aorta
left
atrium
pericardium
right atrium
pericardial
fluid
pulmonary
artery
ventricle
abdominal
veins
abdominal
vein
pubis
epipubic
cartilage
vent
acromion
processes
right aorta
right
atrium
left
aorta
pulmonary
artery
left atrium
ventricle
c
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esophagus
pectoral
muscle
trachea
carotid
artery
precaval
veins
acromion
process
right
atrium
left atrium
right
systemic
aorta
left
systemic
aorta
ventricle
pulmonary
trunk
sinus
venosus brachiocephalic
trunk
gubernaculum
cordis
pericardium
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esophageal
arteries
ventral
cervical
artery
thyroid gland
thyroid
artery
carotid
artery
thyroid
artery
subclavian
artery
left
atrium
right
atrium
right
aorta
ventricle
brachiocephalic
trunk
pulmonary
trunk
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internal
carotid artery
esophageal artery
thyroid artery
common
carotid
artery
subclavian artery
brachial artery
radial artery
ulnar artery
brachiocephalic trunk
digital
arteries
right aorta
left
pulmonary
artery
marginocostal
pulmonary trunk
inferior mesenteric artery
left aorta
gastric artery
dorsal aorta
gonadal artery
coeliac artery
adrenal artery
pancreaticoduodenal
artery
epigastric artery
femoral artery
common iliac
artery
external
iliac artery
vertebral
artery
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sciatic artery
internal
iliac
artery
external
jugular
vein
scapular vein
axillary vein
subclavian vein
dorsal brachial vein
antebrachial
vein
thyroscapular vein
precava
sinus venosus
internal
brachial vein
postcava
left atrium
pulmonary vein
duodenal vein
marginocostal vein
splenic vein
}
}
intercostal veins
abdominal vein
ischiatic vein
epigastric vein
external iliac vein
femoral vein
crural vein
popliteal vein
caudal vein
cloacal vein
renal
portal vein
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trachea
right
aorta
left aorta
gastric artery
dorsal
aorta
coeliac artery
superior
mesentric
artery
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Fig. 134. The ventral view of the left aorta and its
major branches in a loggerhead after removal of the
heart and viscera. Anterior is
toward the top of the picture.
The right aorta joins the left
aorta very early in this
loggerhead, just posterior to
the origin of the superior
mesenteric artery.
acromio-coracoid
ligament
liver
right lobe
left
coracoid
process
liver
left lobe
gastric
artery
stomach
pyloric
artery
Figs. 135a and 135b. Circulation of the stomach. The ventral gastric artery drains
to the lesser curvature of the stomach. It becomes the pyloric artery at the level of
the pyloric sphincter.
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pancreas
duodenum
reflected
anteriorly
& ventrally
pyloric artery
and coronary
ventricular
vein
dorsal
gastric artery
deep
pectoral
muscle
(right)
stomach
spleen
posterior
pancreaticoduodenal artery coeliac artery
anterior
pancreaticoduodenal artery
Figs. 136a and 136b. Arteries and veins of the stomach, pancreas, and duodenum.
The dorsal gastric artery drains to the greater curvature of the stomach. The coeliac
artery, the second artery arising from the left aorta, supplies these branches to the
duodenum, the stomach near the pyloris, and to the pancreas.
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left
aorta
left
lung
costal artery
dorsal aorta
left kidney
right
lung
adrenals
right kidney
renal arteries
caudal artery
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vertebral
arteries
dorsal
aorta
lung
adrenal
artery
adrenal
glands
gonadal
artery
renal
arteries
right
kidney
common
iliac artery
left kidney
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vertebral artery
external
iliac artery
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dorsal aorta
renal arteries
kidney
epigastric
arteries
common
iliac arteries
caudal
artery
left
hind foot
ilium
Fig. 139. Dorsal arteries to the posterior musculature and kidneys of a loggerhead.
a
dorsal shoulder
muscles
left
forelimb
biventer
cervical muscle
external jugular vein
right
forelimb
Figs. 141a and 141b. Green turtle cervical circulation. The external jugular vein
was dissected free on the turtle's right and injected to provide contrast. It shows
the transverse cervical branch extending medially into the muscle.
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a
transverse
cervical vein
head
external
jugular vein
vertebral vein
and branches
internal
jugular vein
precava
cervical
vertebra
(cut)
scapula
b
Figs. 142a and 142b. Dorsal view of the neck of a green turtle with the carapace
removed. The precava (superior vena cava) receives blood from the subclavian
veins. The relatively small external jugular vein of green turtles receives relatively
few branches when compared with the anatomy in other cheloniids.
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supraoccipital
crest
biventer
cervical
muscle
vertebral
branches
of external
jugular vein
external
jugular
vein
external
jugular vein
1st left
marginal
transverse
cervical
muscle
retracted
nuchal scute
1st right
marginal
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biventer
cervical
muscle
external
jugular vein
transverse
cervical
muscle
nuchal scute
1st left
marginal
scute
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carapace
biventer
cervical
muscle
external
jugular vein
with vertebral
branches
skull
transverse
cervical
muscle
b
Figs. 145a and 145b. Dorsal view close-up of a Kemps ridley external jugular
vein, and its transverse branch arises medially (toward the left in this picture).
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biventer
cervical
muscle
transverse
cervical
muscle
external
jugular
vein
cervical
branch of
external
jugular
1st right
marginal scute
nuchal scute
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external
jugular
vein
transverse
cervical
biventer
cervical
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transverse
cervical
muscle
external
jugular
vein
vertebral
vein
transverse
cervical
branches
esophagus
(cut)
external
jugular vein
biventer
cervical muscle
transverse
cervical
branches
trachea
a
biventer
cervical muscle
hyoid
process
nuchal scute
1st left
marginal scute
2nd left
marginal scute
cervical
branch
vein
transverse
cervical muscle
external
jugular
vein
lateral
vertebral
arteries
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head
vertebral
branches
external
jugular vein
cut
muscles
trachea
left
flipper
right flipper
b
Figs. 151a and 151b. This lateral view of a Kemps ridley shows the many vertebral
branches off the external jugular going to the deep cervical musculature.
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nuchal scute
biventer
cervical muscle
1st left
marginal scute
transverse
cervical muscle
external
jugular
vein
Figs. 152a and 152b. This lateral dissection of a loggerhead's external jugular shows
the extensive branching that is typical of this species. The transverse cervical muscle
has been split along its length to expose the vein. Both the muscles and veins are
displaced ventrally because their supporting connective tissues have been removed.
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Fig. 153. The internal and external jugular veins from the precava are exposed in this
dissection of a green turtle. The external jugular vein (downward pointing arrow) is
mostly covered by the cut neck musculature which has been reflected dorsally. The
internal jugular (upward pointing arrow) is partially injected with latex. The internal
jugular vein is usually accompanied by the vagus nerve, however it is not distinct in
this photo.
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a
scapula
subscapular vein
and artery
cephalic vein
transverse
scapular vein
scapular vein
thoracodorsal
artery
left
flipper
precava
Figs. 154a and 154b. Venous and arterial branches of the posterior aspect of the flipper.
The cephalic vein from the flipper drains into the transverse scapular vein along the
scapular musculature, then to the scapular vein, which then joins the precava. The
thoracodorsal artery is a branch from the subclavian or the brachial in most turtles.
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liver
coracoid
coracoid
post cava
testis
kidney
pelvis
flexor tibialis
externus
ventral
flexor tendon
gastronemius
muscle
popletial
vein
crural vein
femoral
artery
pubotibialis
foot
Figs. 156a and 156b. The right hind limb of this loggerhead shows
the positions of the femoral artery, crural, and popletial veins. These
arteries and veins travel with the sciatic nerve.
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a
peritonium
with fat
epigastric
vein
iliotibialis
flexor tibialis
caudal
vein
rectus
abdominus
b
The paired renal portal veins receive the ischiadic
veins from the posterior hip muscles. The caudal
veins (Fig. 157) extend along the lateral tail and
receive the cloacal veins, medially from the cloaca
and rectum. The caudal veins drain into the ischiadic
veins, as well as the epigastric vein in sea turtles.
The renal portal vein also receives drainage from the
narrow vertebral veins, which are found lateral to
the vertebral column and enter the kidneys anteriorly
and dorsally. The vertebrals receive costal veins
from the shell, which are connected laterally with
the marginocostal vein (Fig. 132). From the cloaca,
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tail
ventricle
stomach
spleen
large
intestine
mesentery
mesenteric veins
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Fig. 159. Circulation through a turtle heart during breathing and during breath-holding (apnea).
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