Scientists say that turtles communicate with each other before hatching
November 30th, 2011 - 8:24 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattSydney, Nov 30 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Scientists in Australia say turtles communicate with each other when hatching so that the weaker ones could have the chance to survive. The researchers concluded that stronger turtles urge the weaker ones to hatch at faster rate so they can avoid being eaten by predators.
The study was conducted on the Murray short-necked turtles found exclusively in Australia. The researchers examined the synchronized hatching of the turtles and concluded that they may be a way that the eggs and communicate with each other to determine which one hatches at what time.
Co-author of the research Dr Ricky Spencer said that, “I am pretty sure they’re not sitting there chatting to each other but no one really knows.”
The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Western Study.
During the study, the researchers divided the turtle eggs into two and exposed them to different temperatures. After a week, the scientists placed the eggs back together and what happened next was puzzling to the researchers.
They report that the cooler eggs managed to increase their metabolism and heart rate and hatched within days of the hatch of the warmer eggs.
Spencer concluded that, “They increased their developmental rate essentially independent of temperature [and] that allowed them to hatch earlier.”
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Tags: australia, co author, heart rate, metabolism, predators, research dr, ricky, scientists, short necked turtles, spencer, sydney nov, temperatures, turtle, turtle eggs, turtles