Diving strategy of Amyda cartilaginea (Boddaert, 1770) and Cuora amboinensis (Daudin, 1802) in the perspective of respiratory structure and function

Amyda cartilaginea and Cuora amboinensis are Indonesian freshwater turtles with the same habitat but different shell structure and intensities on land. This leads to different diving strategies between both of them. This research aimed to observe pulmonary structure and function associated with the diving strategy of A. cartilaginea and C. amboinensis. Three A. cartilaginea and five C. amboinensis were used in this research. Blood samples were collected from a subcarapacial vein. Total erythrocyte counts were obtained using hemocytometer combined with Natt and Herrick staining. The hemoglobin level was measured by a colorimetric method using Sahli’s Haemometer. Blood smear preparations were made using Giemsa’s staining procedure. The sizes of 20 erythrocytes of each blood smears and their nuclei were measured using an ocular micrometer. Specimens were sacrificed and dissected. Lungs volume was measured directly by injection of physiological saline. Microanatomy tissue preparation was done by using Paraffin Method and modified Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining procedure. The results showed that A. cartilaginea and amboinensis had a different diving strategy in oxygen storage location. A. cartilaginea tends to store oxygen in the blood (erythrocytes), while C. amboinensis tends to store oxygen in the lung.