Anatomical studies provide essential information for the clinical treatment of wild animals, these studies can be performed
on chelonians and are associated with additional tests such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound imaging and radiography. The objective is to elucidate physiological and pathological phenomena of the gastrointestinal tract (HOLT 1978, MEYER 1998), including, but not limited to, gastroenteric obstructions by foreign bodies. The chelonian gastrointestinal tract is anatomically diverse and endoscopic examination techniques will probably vary between species.
The wide variety of reptiles demands efforts to understand particular features of the normal anatomy of species of economic and conservational interest (COSTA et al. 2009). Moreover, morphological studies on the digestive tract of sea turtles may produce
information that will enable comparative analyses with
other chelonians, and also provide insights for future evolutionary
studies on the group, especially those regarding adaptations
related to feeding habits.