Untitled Document
 Did
you know that baby turtles communicate with each other
before hatching? Australian scientists
recently discovered this amazing fact after studying Murray short-necked
turtles. They believe that the unhatched turtles may be able to sense each other’s heart vibrations in their
nest.
The researchers from the University
of Western Sydney studied the eggs’ heart rates and metabolic rates before they
hatched. They said that the eggs positioned at the bottom of the nest have a
catch-up mechanism. The mechanism
helps them overcome their long incubation periods. More developed turtles can send
signals to less developed ones to encourage them to grow faster.
 Also, the
baby turtles can communicate with each other to hatch at the same time. This prevents smaller turtles
from hatching alone and being attacked by predators. Small baby turtles
often fall victim to predators right
after hatching.
“I am pretty sure they are not sitting there chatting to each other, but
no one really knows,” said Dr. Ricky Spencer, who led the new study.
“We found that they can communicate with each other by sensing each
other’s heart rates. We believe that they may also be able to detect gases emitted from the breath of other turtles in
the nest.”
Isn’t it amazing that baby turtles can communicate with each other
while they are still in their eggs? |
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