Friday, November 29, 2013

Turtles Influence Our Culture, in a Particularly Odd Way


Let's say that someone told you that turtles are divided into two groups, two overarching evolutionary lineages. What would you guess that these two groups are?  Most people, I imagine, would think that it's the sea turtles versus the land turtles.  In reality, though, the two groups are Cryptodira, which bend their necks vertically, and Pleurodira, which bend their necks horizontally.  (By the way, all the turtles native to the United States are members of Cryptodira, so, for most of the people who read this blog, the next time that you come upon a turtle, you needn't worry about watching it to see how its neck bends.)

Several weeks ago at work, I needed to find a reference explaining Cryptodira and its included groups.  When I checked the internet, I was surprised to find that "Cryptodira" is also the name of a progressive death metal band from Long Island. In fact, six of the first ten websites to come up on a Google search refer to the band, not the turtles.  

I can only assume that the band chose the name from an association with "crypt", which of course is a tomb, which is the sort of thing that death metallers would enjoy.

The music and videos of Cryptodira are available on the internet, but I feel no compelling desire to listen to any of it.  

And please keep in mind that Cryptodira is not just a death metal band, but a progressive death metal band, which means that it appeals to the more intellectual and musically sophisticated death metal fan.