Sunday 04 January 2015
When it comes to housing, every little helps. And for a tortoise, the bigger the shell, the larger the animal, and the more able the fiercely territorial land-dwelling turtle is able to fight off rivals. Predators, droughts and even food shortages can be kept at bay. This accepted evolutionary narrative has been turned on its head, however, with the revelation that larger tortoises are less adept at righting themselves when they are flipped on to their backs.
Scientists have long known that if you upturn a tortoise, it will find its feet again, thanks to a clever combination of shell shape and leg and neck manoeuvres, but according to a new study, larger Hermann tortoises found in the Mediterranean are less capable of finding their feet than their smaller, more nimble relatives.
Self-righting is a serious business for armoured animals, including ocean-going turtles and cockroaches, because they often spend time in rocky areas and are liable to get stuck on their backs, legs flailing. However, it's an even deadlier matter for the Hermann tortoise, which is often overturned by belligerent males during fights over breeding grounds.
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