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Turtle shell Based on archaeological recovery at precontact Native American habitation sites in western Wisconsin, turtles were sometimes harvested for their meat, with the upper shell or carapace of some species modified into containers or other utensils. The exterior carapace segments of snapping turtles often show evidence of scorching, suggesting these turtles were roasted whole for consumption, on a bed of coals. Remains of other turtle species frequently found with other food refuse, and presumed to have been dietary items, include softshell, map, false map, painted, Blanding's and ornate box turtles. The carapaces of the Blanding's and ornate box turtles have highly congruent carapace segments that when carefully cleaned of the interior vertebral column made serviceable containers. Shown here is the interior of a map turtle carapace from a La Crosse Oneota site, with the vertebrae removed and ground down to produce a plate-like artifact.