Mechanical Function of a Complex Three‐Dimensional Suture Joining the Bony Elements in the Shell of the Red‐Eared Slider Turtle

The shell of turtles is a shield which needs to be stiff at high loads but should provide sufficient flexibility for respiration and locomotion at smaller loads. We show that this seemingly contradictory requirement is met by a self-locking material, whereby stiff bony elements are connected by a much softer suture with a complex three-dimensional shape. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.