Kayan woman were referred to as “giraffe women” because of the practice of placing metal coils around their neck. As more coils were added, the neck appeared to stretch. The coils did not stretch the neck; they pressed the clavicle downwards to give the appearance of a longer neck. This practice has fallen into decline.
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Platysternon megacephalum - The big-headed turtle is one of the few turtles unable to fully retract its head into the shell. To compensate, the top and sides of the head have a bony covering to serve as armor plating and the skull is made of solid bone. The upper and lower jaws are made of a hardened keratin material and used aggressively by the turtle when it must stand and fight. The big-headed turtle is protected by law, but populations are in decline because of the bushmeat trade.
