Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: DoctorBeaver on 12/01/2006 22:14:40
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Why do they move so slowly? Do they move slowly because of the weight of their shell or did they evolve the shell because they move so slowly?
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What a great question.....Why would a tortoise need to run fast ?...hmmmm...to catch a fast moving dandelion perhaps ?...
I don't think I could run fast with a big shell on my back....I know Turtles can swim...can Tortoises ?...the reason I ask is because Turtles are aquatic and therefore can swim a lot faster than they can walk....but maybe Tortoises CAN move faster !...
Oh where are all the 'Speed of Tortoise ' experts when we need them ?
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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I wonder if the reason why they move so slowly is tied into the reason why they live so long.
Do animals with slow heart rates live longer and move slower,and because they cant run from trouble evolution then gave them a shell
Michael HAPPY NEW YEAR (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Fparty-smiley-012.gif&hash=844994fd61764508c533537d6874634d)
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You try running fast with your legs stuck out at your sides in order to around the edge of your shell.
In fact, there are not many reptiles with the same efficiency of locomotion as mammals, although quite a number can do better than the tortoises.
What is even more interesting is why sloths are so slow. The argument for sloths is that their diet does not provide them with enough energy to move fast, so the same may well be true for tortoises. Another argument for the slow speed of sloths is that it improves their camouflage. Again, one might ask if the same might be true of tortoises.
The long life span, on might guess, in part derives from a slow metabolism, and in part from a lack of predation. I'm not saying simply that it lives long because it is unlikely to be killed by a predator, but that there is very little point in developing a body design that can survive in excess of a century if you are likely to be on someone's dinner plate within a decade – that would be wasteful over-engineering.
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Well I think it's great that Tortoises are slow...they make excellent doorstops !
Ok roll on your 101 uses for Tortoises...discus ?..book ends ?
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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quote:
Originally posted by neilep
Well I think it's great that Tortoises are slow...they make excellent doorstops !
Ok roll on your 101 uses for Tortoises...discus ?..book ends ?
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
Meat pies with an extra crispy crust.[:p]
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I dont care how fast they move i just want one can you still buy them legally?
"Defender of the Sea"
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quote:
Originally posted by sharkeyandgeorge
I dont care how fast they move i just want one can you still buy them legally?
"Defender of the Sea"
I think you can but only from breeders here in the UK. As far as I know the banning of importing them has been in place for a few years now. If you have no luck in sourcing one, just buy a frozen meat pie and draw some legs on it ![;)]
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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quote:
Originally posted by another_someone
What is even more interesting is why sloths are so slow.
I don't think that's more interesting at all [:)]
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quote:
Originally posted by ukmicky
I wonder if the reason why they move so slowly is tied into the reason why they live so long.
I've long held a suspicion that all hearts beat a certain number of times (forget about heart disease) and the faster the beat, the shorter the life-span.
This was sort-of confirmed by something I heard a while back (it may even have been on NS)
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quote:
Originally posted by DoctorBeaver
I've long held a suspicion that all hearts beat a certain number of times (forget about heart disease) and the faster the beat, the shorter the life-span.
This was sort-of confirmed by something I heard a while back (it may even have been on NS)
I remember hearing that theory elsewhere before.
Ofcourse, that would imply that all of this exercise we should be doing is really shortening our lives [:o)]
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quote:
Originally posted by another_someone
quote:
Originally posted by DoctorBeaver
I've long held a suspicion that all hearts beat a certain number of times (forget about heart disease) and the faster the beat, the shorter the life-span.
This was sort-of confirmed by something I heard a while back (it may even have been on NS)
I remember hearing that theory elsewhere before.
Ofcourse, that would imply that all of this exercise we should be doing is really shortening our lives [:o)]
I was talking about an average for the species
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quote:
Originally posted by DoctorBeaver
quote:
Originally posted by another_someone
Ofcourse, that would imply that all of this exercise we should be doing is really shortening our lives [:o)]
I was talking about an average for the species
Yes, my comment was somewhat tongue in cheek.
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quote:
Originally posted by neilep
Ok roll on your 101 uses for Tortoises...discus ?..book ends ?
You could use them as frisbees that will always return to you.
Eventually.
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Turn the tortoise upside-down & paint an arrow on it for a novel twist of "spin the bottle"
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quote:
Originally posted by sharkeyandgeorge
I dont care how fast they move i just want one can you still buy them legally?
"Defender of the Sea"
If you fancy a "waterproof tortoise" do not buy a "snapping turtle",
if you wish to keep all of your digits:-
http://www.chelydra.org/snapping_turtle_handling.html.
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There does seem to be a maximum number of heart beats that mammals live to which holds for most types of mammals... apart from humans, if I remember rightly we live to 2-3 times this limit, so it can't be all that hard and fast.
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quote:
Originally posted by daveshorts
There does seem to be a maximum number of heart beats that mammals live to which holds for most types of mammals... apart from humans, if I remember rightly we live to 2-3 times this limit, so it can't be all that hard and fast.
Humans, if living outside of the protection of human society, would probably not live half as long as we do. Many other animals living within a zoo, or other sheltered environment, can extend their natural lifespan considerably.
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If you look at a tortoise, it has a shell and quite a rough hide, and being able to withdraw into the shell would stymy most predators.
If they can move constantly in a direction they could basically follow the food chain.
Also being able to endure a period without,
The turtle is another matter, fairly omniverous and usually being confined to water, but able to venture off to find other watercourses etc.
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So which came first, slow movement or the shell?
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it was probably a mixture of both
Michael HAPPY NEW YEAR (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Fparty-smiley-012.gif&hash=844994fd61764508c533537d6874634d)
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Without the bulk of an elephant seal or walrus, or the claws of a giant sloth, slowness of movement can be decidedly hazardous.
I may be inclined to agree with you, though, as even some fairly fast-moving animals have shells of a sort. Take the pangolin, for example. I would think the logical progression would be to get some kind of shell & then slow down. Slowing down without a protective shell, or bulk or weapons with which to defend oneself, seems to me to be a recipe for extinction.
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quote:
Originally posted by DoctorBeaver
Slowing down without a protective shell, or bulk or weapons with which to defend oneself, seems to me to be a recipe for extinction.
What about Slugs ? I made them as easy targets.
I am GOD..You are Not..I don't exist !!
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As slugs don't have any form of protection evolution has taken other route's in order to ensure survival of the species , Firstly slugs are active mainly during the night when most of the creature's that feed on them are not about. Secondly they are hermaphrodites,they are both male and female and do not require the assistance of any other slugs to breed (boring)And lastly i believe they produce large amounts of offspring ensuring that some will survive the year.
Life's a real bitch, there's me dreaming of becoming a scientist and what happens, i become a slug expert. [:D]
Michael HAPPY NEW YEAR (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Fparty-smiley-012.gif&hash=844994fd61764508c533537d6874634d)
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quote:
Originally posted by ukmicky
Secondly they are hermaphrodites,they are both male and female and do not require the assistance of any other slugs to breed (boring)And lastly i believe they produce large amounts of offspring ensuring that some will survive the year.
Life's a real bitch, there's me dreaming of becoming a scientist and what happens, i become a slug expert. [:D]
I realised they were hermaphrodites, but I did not realise they were self-fertilising. I had always believed that you did require two slugs to mate, but each would be fertilised by the other.
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quote:
I realised they were hermaphrodites, but I did not realise they were self-fertilising. I had always believed that you did require two slugs to mate, but each would be fertilised by the other.
George your quite right as not all species of slugs self fertilize ,some slugs still do require a patner.
Michael HAPPY NEW YEAR (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Fparty-smiley-012.gif&hash=844994fd61764508c533537d6874634d)
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who cares about slugs lets get back to tortoises
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi32.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fd49%2FSharkeyandgeorge%2F_41268479_babytortoise.jpg&hash=0dafefc6f893155d04c1e16382e568a6)
look how cute they are all together now aaaaawwwwwwwww
"Defender of the Sea"
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Ahhh they're so cute !!...who wants a game of conkers ? .....and I just get the feeling that the girly is just about to start juggling with them !!
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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your right neilep the full pic has another three in the air
"Defender of the Sea"
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they look awfully like little cornish pasties dont they, i like it when you bite through that crust into that nice meaty centre mmmmmmm
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2 reasonably sized tortoises with their undersides glued together makes for an interesting game of 10 pin bowling.
[:o)]
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penguins make perfect pins,you need a small variety like chinstrap or rockhopper,being black and white they are also very visible in low light conditions [:p]
RE-HAB IS FOR QUITTERS.
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That's definitely got olympic potential
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Talking about chinstraps, you can attach a chinstrap to a tortoise to make a handy helmet. (As discovered by the Germans during WW2.)
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A tortoise makes a nice alternative to a Jock Strap/Codpiece.....keep the Tortoise happy by occasional feeding with lettuce and dandelion leaves...try not to be seen when doing this !!
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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perfectly okay to feed a tortoise dandilion or lettuce [8D]
RE-HAB IS FOR QUITTERS.
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a tortoise was found in my backyard...and i fed it ham, and it seemed rather happy.
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WoW, it must have escaped from a tortoise re-hab clinic or something.
What happened to the happy ham eating thing ?
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
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You are all being very, very silly. Kindly cease & desist! [:D]
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Hey , my son raises tortises, and has aquatic and land tortise's. He loves them. Heres an interesting fack, Totoises are one of the very few critters that can breath out ot their Butt! How the heck about that. I just found that out and find it quite odd. I read it in a flyer when visiting the zoo. Mind you not all turtles, but most of them can. I wonder what breeds do and don't. They are so cute and they are everywhere here around the rivers. They band little box turtles here in california some years ago. We raised them as children, they were real cute. I must agree, but they were faster then these large ones. They are really slow!
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Hey Karen.
It's simply sooooooooooooooper to see you investigating the rest of the site young lady !!
Apart from just exhaling,......I wish I could breathe out of my butt , it would make snorkeling all the more easier and funnier to enjoy.[:D]...and synchronized swimming would be such an amazing spectator sport too [:D]....
...perhaps some one can invent a tortoise/butt attachment to make this a reality.
yes, yes i think it would work [:D]
Men are the same as women, just inside out !
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You are so funny! But seriously isn't that a weird thing, I have honestly never heard of any creature past or present that breathed out of their butt, but then again, I am no expert on any animal, just happened upon that little tid bit!
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Hi Karen,...lol, yes it's quite extraordinary... I would love for a 'Tortoise Butt Hole ' expert to comment here becuase how on Earth did it occur that a Tortoise can breathe via it's butt ?...and more importantly, should you have to resuscitate, one which end do you use ? [:D]
Men are the same as women, just inside out !
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That is a good question and how do you know which ones can and can't, because as I said Most can. I wonder if it has to do with Land or Sea Tortises. HUMMM! I don't know about you but My vote is for the front end! My husband had to revive a fish that had sucked up a very large rock! Good thing it did not breath through its butt! He had to push it through the tank for a couple hours to force water through his gills after it basically suffocated. Tortise might be a tad more complicated ehhh!!