CAN TURTLES HEAR? (ON LAND, UNDERWATER, AND TO MUSIC)

Most people think that turtles are deaf because they can't see their ears, but turtles have ears but the

million dollar question is, can turtles hear?

Turtles can hear to some extent, but they cannot hear as clearly as humans can. Turtles are more

responsive to loud noises. Since turtle ears are not as sharp as other animals, they rely solely on their

other senses to survive.

Now let's understand in detail everything about how turtles can hear sounds. But first ....

 

Do Turtles have Ears?

Turtles have inner ears. Unlike humans or other animals, turtle ears are invisible. 

They have a small hole on the side of their head

When there is noise around them, sound waves enter through these holes, which allows turtles to hear.

So yes, turtles have ears and they can hear.

Okay, now let's see how well they can hear on land and underwater.

 

How do turtles hear on the land 

Turtles cannot hear clearly on land. 

On land, the turtles uses its limited hearing ability to locate and identify its prey.

While on land, turtles cannot hear the sounds made by their prey, nor can they hear the sounds of

dangerous predators.

They rely mainly on changes in air pressure and vibrations to identify their prey or predators.

Turtles are able to hear low-frequency sounds quite clearly compared to high-pitched sounds.

Now that you know turtles can't hear clearly on land, is it the same in water too? 

 

Now let's understand how well turtles can hear underwater.

 

Can Turtle Hear underwater

Turtles tend to listen better underwater than on land. This is mainly due to the way their ears are shaped. 

Turtles do not have external ears. They have a small hole on the side of their head. They listen through

this hole.

Because of the turtle's thick skin and excessive fat, it is difficult for the tortoise to listen well on land.

But it is just the opposite in water.

In the water, the turtle's skin and fat become good sound mediators.

Since turtles have inner ears, their sensitivity to air pressure helps them.

They are able to pick up on changes in water pressure caused by fish flippers.

This is how turtles avoid predators that come to kill them or track prey swimming nearby.

It was found that turtles are able to listen well when sound frequencies are in the range of 200 Hz and

750 Hz. 

On the other hand, their hearing becomes poor if the frequency bags 1000 Hz.

In addition, based on scientific studies conducted by researchers, it was found that green turtles can

hear well if the frequency of sound is between 200 Hz and 500 Hz.

Anything higher than the specified frequency they cannot catch the sound.

It should be noted that all the studies mentioned above were conducted on adult turtles.

It's all about the turtle's hearing capacity underwater.

 

Now let's discuss how well turtles can listen to music.

 

Can Turtle listen to music ?

Turtles can listen to low-frequency music.

However, if the frequency of the music is high, like a violin, they will not be able to pick up the music.

When it comes to music, turtles can listen to bass or low-pitched suras like the Cello.

To them, music is just the change in air pressure they feel rather than the sound of musical notes.

Now that we've talked about music, let's also talk about turtle senses.

5 important senses for turtles

It's true that turtles can't hear clearly. 

However, their other senses are sharp and well developed. Turtles see, smell, taste and feel too.

Let's examine each of these senses in detail:

Vision: Tortoises have keen eyesight. Because of their keen eyesight, tortoises can easily find food for

themselves and their young.

In addition, turtles can distinguish between colors and shapes.

 

This helps them to detect their predators and also to determine what food they eat.

Although tortoises have well-developed vision, they do not have peripheral vision.

Hearing: Turtles do not hear clearly, as we discussed earlier.

This is mainly because they lack eardrums.

However, they can hear lower frequencies and vibrations of sound in water as well as on land.

This is how they realize potential predators in the water to protect themselves.

Smell: Like sight, turtles have a good sense of smell. They smell good on land and underwater.

They have a bump under their chin instead of nostrils. These bumps have nerves that allow them to

smell.

The sense of smell plays an important role in turtles during the mating season.

Using this sense, male turtles find female turtles by picking up the female turtle's pheromones.

Also, since they have a good sense of smell, it allows them to detect predators and stay away from them.

Taste: All tortoise species have no taste buds. Some tortoise species such as sea turtles or Chelonians

do have taste buds.

They are able to taste the food they eat. However, other species such as snapping turtles have no taste

buds.

Since they have no taste buds, they tend to eat and ingest poisonous food sometimes.

Other turtle species, such as Hawksbill and Leatherback turtles, can eat both poisonous and non-toxic

foods, such as jellyfish.

Touch: Turtles have thick skin that looks like leather. But their skin is very sensitive.

So, a pet tortoise loves it when you give it a scrub on its neck. Similarly, a turtle will feel you if you touch

its skin.

It's all about the turtle's senses. But have you ever wondered how turtles communicate?

 

How do turtles communicate?

Turtles do communicate with their mates and with younger ones. They do so in a very low voice.

Mother tortoises are believed to communicate with their unborn offspring while still inside their shells.

Turtles do not actually speak. However, they communicate with each other by making some noise.

Well, after knowing how turtles communicate with each other, you must be curious to know

 whether turtles communicate with humans.

If you have a pet tortoise, you would definitely want to know their language.

The way they communicate with you is a sign of how comfortable they are.

Like other pets, you will find that your tortoise communicates with you through signs.

Your pet tortoise will communicate its emotions through body language.

You will find your tortoise pulling its head tail, and legs into its shell whenever it is threatened.

On the contrary, once the tortoise is comfortable with you, it will not pull back its body parts into its shell.

It will actually start playing with you.

If you notice a change in its communicative behavior, it is a clear indication that the tortoise is sick.

It needs your immediate help.

 

Points To Remember

Turtles cannot hear as clearly as humans or other animals.

However, they have other powerful senses such as sight, smell taste, and touch, they rely on their keen

senses to survive.

 

Turtles can hear sounds better in water than on land. They can listen and distinguish low-frequency

sounds better.