First documented case of a land tortoise hunting a bird
🐢First documented case of a land tortoise hunting a bird
🐢Until now, giant tortoises (including Aldabrachelys gigantea), currently found only in the Seychelles and those in the Galapagos Islands, were thought to be herbivorous.
🐢In July 2020, scientists in the Seychelles filmed a giant tortoise devouring Anous tenuirostris hatchling. Scientists involved in the discovery say this is the first time such behavior has been captured on camera. The turtles occasionally eat the shells of snails and bones of dead birds, goats and even other terrestrial turtles to supplement their diet.
🐢Scientists note that the turtle recorded by the camera shows signs of familiarity and experience in hunting seabird hatchlings. When turtles eat leaves, grass or fruit, they extend their tongues and pull the food into their mouths. The individual in the video, by contrast, has his tongue retracted and his eyes closed - signs that he fears some danger from this food source.
🐢According to the authors, the fact that the recorded individual is female may be an important clue as to the reasons for the behavior. Island systems typically lack calcium, a key mineral for building eggshells.
Picture from: Zora, Anna et al. 2020. Giant tortoises hunt and consume birds. Current Biology, Volume 31, Issue 16, R989 - R990
👉More:
2 short videos and more information: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.088
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Naturalist, traveler, French-Polish herpetologist, interested in biodiversity and the conservation of herpetofauna. I have always been passionate about observing and studying amphibians and reptiles, especially different species of lizards in many countries. This has allowed me to gain experience in scientific research by collaborating with other specialists, attending numerous conferences and writing papers on herpetofauna. I participate in numerous monitoring and conservation programmes. Member of the IUCN SSC Monitor Lizard Specialist Group. Addicted to Natural History.
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I just read the paper and watched the two videos! I must say that this was one of the thrilling documentation of tortoises I've seen! Thank you so much for sharing it, Przemyslaw!
Do you know if this behavior has been seen elsewhere since that 2020 observation? Or any further updates? Would be interesting to explore if it’s isolated or part of a wider pattern among island tortoises.
I have not heard of other cases since this publication. An interesting topic to tease out.
Agreed!
I discussed this research with a colleague, who mentioned that while a Burmese Python was observed eating a Reticulated Python, there was no significant change in the eating habits of tortoises. I hope there will be more research on this soon.
Thanks for always sharing interesting facts about reptiles and amphibians! I am a fan of tortoises myself but oh boy seeing this big girl eating the baby bird was horrifying.
Do you think this hunting behaviour could be driven by ecosystem change? Unexpected interactions between species may appear when ecosystem change - for whatever reason. I wonder if this is a new type of behaviour that tortoises are developing due to excessive lack of calcium on the island - for example - or if this is a natural behaviour that simply hasn't been recorded or seen before. Any thoughts?
These are very rare phenomena. As you can see from this publication, there is the first case documented. Surely this behavior is related to dietary supplementation, an interesting aspect for future research !