Scutes

Anatomy of The Turtle's Shell

"Turtles are reptiles whose protection comes from a shell. The shell is composed of hard, bone plates covered by scutes. The scutes are made of keratin, the primary substance in hair, nails and hooves of other animals. The pigment melanin, present in the scutes, may form intricate designs and brightly colored patterns in some species.
The scutes of most turtles are arranged somewhat like the example below."

From:

http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/anatomy.html

On one of the trails I've walked on for years, I spotted what looked like an animal effigy head of something or other because it had this prominent quartz eye...

Turns out it's one of many turtles on turtles on turtle on the hillside. I could see his outline, the scattered stones that are it's scutes. The pattern continued with the others. There's probably more...

In fact today's walk, with my brother, maybe five or six miles away, found us walking some stone rows, from water features to out crops where this same pattern appears, a composite turtle, head and legs and tail, scutes or smaller stones arraigned on it's back. I didn't have my camera with me, but will soon return.

The white eyed turtle is at the top of this rise here, just beyond a linear row of stones that's the border of a land trust, by the power lines, right under the ATV tracks...