An exhibition at the University of Richmond looks at the history of shelled reptiles.
Photos by Taylor Dabney, courtesy of the David and Jean Hutchison Collection
Know the difference between pleurodira and cryptodira? Here’s a lesson: pleurodira, also called “side-necked turtles,” withdraw their heads by folding their necks sideways and hiding their heads within the margins of their shell. Cryptodira, however, can lower their necks to fold the head like an accordion between their front legs. Got it?
Turtles Through Time: From Fossils to the Present is a new exhibit at the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, a part of the University of Richmond Museums, which looks at the history of turtles and aims to highlight their most important evolutionary features. Matthew Houle, who curated the exhibit alongside David Hutchison, and independent scholar and member of the Richmond Gem and Mineral Society, says, “Turtles have been around for over 200 million years, and have not changed much in that time.” Their most notable feature, the shell, has proven essential to the species’ survival, but also limiting to changes in their form. “They are the only vertibrate where the shoulder and hip bones are inside of the ribs,” says Houle.
The exhibition presents specimens (shells, skulls, and an egg clutch, mostly from Hutchison’s own collection) from turtle species over 150 million years old, in addition to turtles from our present time. In addition to the nearly 700 Richmond-area students and community leaders who have visited the gallery since the exhibition’s opening in February, Turtles Through Time has also seen more than 200 walk-in visitors. For Houle, the draw is simple: “Turtles of all kinds are pretty incredible.” Admission is free through Dec. 8. Museums.Richmond.edu
Upcoming events:
Sunday, April 2, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. The University of Richmond Museums will host University Museums family day. In addition to the Turtles Through Time exhibition, families are invited to attend an afternoon of art and science displays, hands-on activities and readings. Admission is free. Thursday, April 6, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Art and Art History Chair Jeremy Drummond and University of Richmond students enrolled in a curatorial practice and presentation study will co-curate a video festival, in conjunction with the exhibition Crooked Data: (Mis)Information in Contemporary Art, on display in the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art.
