Highlights from the Evolution 2013 meeting
Terrapins' light displays, a natural fish experiment and how a variety of eye colors persist in white Europeans, presented June 21-25 in Snowbird, Utah
By Susan Milius, 16:22 PM July 2, 2013
Terrapins show off
Human eyes may not do justice to the spectacle of terrapins flirting. Male and female diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in eastern North America gather in shallow water during breeding season. The first study of how these terrapins might perceive their potential mates finds that, unlike humans, terrapins see ultraviolet wavelengths as well as blue, green and red, reported Abby Dominy of Drexel University in Philadelphia on June 22. Terrapin shells don’t reflect UV,...