{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T15:04:29Z","timestamp":1779721469323,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":68,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779148800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Wildlife Disease Association Australasian Section"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Reptiles with diving capabilities have evolved physiological adaptations as well as conformational changes to temporarily sustain life underwater. Despite the importance of both respiratory and cardiovascular systems during diving, most studies have focused on respiratory adaptations. Thus, characterisation of previously undescribed cardiovascular anatomical variations in diving vertebrates is of broad interest. Thirteen clinically healthy, free-ranging adult female Murray River turtles (Chelidae: Emydura macquarii) were collected for research purposes, euthanised and autopsied. Prominent, valve-like structures, comprised exclusively of smooth muscle myocytes, were identified in medium- and large-calibre muscular arteries of all individuals. Additionally, multiple intramural vascular channels, mimicking post-thrombotic recanalization, were observed within medium-calibre muscular arteries. Further, we confirmed the presence of alpha-smooth-muscle actin-positive cells lining the cardiac atria in E. macquarii. Quantitative morphometric analyses demonstrated that the valve-like structures frequently occupied a substantial proportion of the vascular lumen, in some cases exceeding 90% luminal narrowing. Their consistent presence across multiple individuals and organ systems supports the interpretation that these are physiological vascular structures rather than artefacts. This study examines the potential physiological and evolutionary roles of these vascular structures, providing a basis for further research into cardiovascular adaptations in vertebrates subjected to postural changes and diving-related haemodynamic challenges.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13050493","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T13:11:31Z","timestamp":1779196291000},"page":"493","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Morphological Investigation of Uncharacterised Cardiovascular Structures in Shallow-Diving, Semi-Aquatic Freshwater Turtles (Chelidae: Emydura macquarii)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3132-1100","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rhiannon Jade","family":"Gurkin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5454-0470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cleide","family":"Spronhle-Barrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IDEXX Laboratories Pty Ltd., 10 Brandl St., Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4113, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-6860-6768","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lawrence","family":"Noble","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Sciences, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nate","family":"Maisel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Sciences, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2693-7761","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo","family":"Gordon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Sciences, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5130-2119","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christopher","family":"Lam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary Cardiologists Australia, Underwood, QLD 4119, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Schaffer-White","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Veterinary Pathology, Underwood, QLD 4119, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Origgi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Messina, Department of Veterinary Science, Polo Universitario dell\u2019Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy"},{"name":"Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design (DACD), 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland"},{"name":"University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Institute of Microbiology, 6501 Bellinzona, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4208-361X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Viviana","family":"Gonzalez-Astudillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Sciences, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"889","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2435.2006.01170.x","article-title":"A comparative analysis of the diving behaviour of birds and mammals","volume":"20","author":"Halsey","year":"2006","journal-title":"Funct. 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