Found an empty shell...oddly shaped, maybe? (pictures)

[glassbird]

Hi! I hope I have put this thread in the right place, but I am only guessing that it is a water turtle's shell.

I found this, neatly wrapped in a tissue, in a box of a deceased relative's things. I have a tortoise, so it caught my eye. On closer inspection though...I have to wonder...is this a normal shell? Where did the tail come out?

Can anyone identify the species? If it helps, the relative lived in the New Hampshire/Massachusetts area of the US. But she traveled the whole country...esp Florida and Arizona.

 

[Markw84]

Hi! I hope I have put this thread in the right place, but I am only guessing that it is a water turtle's shell.

I found this, neatly wrapped in a tissue, in a box of a deceased relative's things. I have a tortoise, so it caught my eye. On closer inspection though...I have to wonder...is this a normal shell? Where did the tail come out?

Can anyone identify the species? If it helps, the relative lived in the New Hampshire/Massachusetts area of the US. But she traveled the whole country...esp Florida and Arizona.

This is the shell of an Eastern Painted Turtle. The rear of the carapace has caved in a bit.

 

[wellington]

Oh wow, kind of a shock I bet when you first seen it.

 

[glassbird]

Oh wow, kind of a shock I bet when you first seen it.

Actually, I am a little annoyed at myself for not seeing the oddness right away. I mean, I have a tortoise. I know where the tail is supposed to be! I think I was just temporarily surprised to see it at all in a random box. But eventually, I did see it. The top shell is touching the bottom shell inside the edge of the bottom shell. It's like a person whose lower teeth stick out past the upper teeth. The scutes to not seem to be damaged. Makes me wonder if the deformity contributed to the animals passing.