# Are tortoises deaf



## georgeandbessy (Jul 5, 2016)

Just wondering if tortoises are deaf as I have had loads of people telling me they are.


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## mctlong (Jul 5, 2016)

No, tortoises are not deaf.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 5, 2016)

They don't hear the full spectrum like our hearing. But they hear. (Actually compared to a dog, we are deaf)
They seem to hear low pitched sounds better and are also keen on vibration.


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## georgeandbessy (Jul 5, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> They don't hear the full spectrum like our hearing. But they hear. (Actually compared to a dog, we are deaf)
> They seem to hear low pitched sounds better and are also keen on vibration.


Thank you


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## Gillian M (Jul 5, 2016)

There is conflicting information as far as this subject is concerned.

Personally, I do not think that they hear, *BUT* they feel vibrations. I noticed that when I call Oli (my beloved Greek tort), when I talk, even when the washing machine/vacuum cleaner is on, I see *NO* reaction whatsoever.


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## Speedy-1 (Jul 5, 2016)

*I agree with Zeropilot that yes they can to an extent ! I even found this sort of interesting article that says all tortoises can hear better underwater !  ??*
http://www.livescience.com/26361-turtles-hear-better-underwater.html


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## BrianWI (Jul 5, 2016)

My cat is deaf... but the frequency of a can of food opening she hears just fine.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 5, 2016)

BrianWI said:


> My cat is deaf... but the frequency of a can of food opening she hears just fine.


Is she deaf or just ignoring you?
Cats.


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## Tom (Jul 5, 2016)

We had a very experienced member here years ago who participated in a study to see how well tortoises could hear. Their conclusion? Tortoises cannot hear. They can certainly see, smell and learn, so I can see why some people might think they can hear. My tortoises can smell Mazuri a mile away. His name was GB Tortoises. @jaizei would you be able to find that old thread for us? Probably 2010 or 2011when the forum was in one of the older formats.

When I'm walking up behind my tortoises I talk to them to let them know I'm there so they don't startle. They still startle as soon as I get within their sight anyway. I keep trying and just do it out of habit, but it has never worked. Its just a habit of mine now to "warn" them. I keep wondering if it will work one day… Silly, I know.


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## Gillian M (Jul 6, 2016)

BrianWI said:


> My cat is deaf... but the frequency of a can of food opening she hears just fine.


It is the frequency (vibrations) that she feels, and not hears, I believe.


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## Kori5 (Jul 6, 2016)

I'm sure my tortoise hears noises from the vacuum cleaner. I tested that a few times. He was sleeping under the hut and when I've turned it on he came out, startled. Also, a few days ago my sister was moving her desk in a room near mine. He was basking with eyes closed and just "jumped" at the noise . They hear just not like we do.


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## BrianWI (Jul 6, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> It is the frequency (vibrations) that she feels, and not hears, I believe.



No. She just ignores me 99% of the time and does what she wants. She is a cat. LOL


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## Big Charlie (Jul 7, 2016)

Charlie is completely unfazed when the gardener shows up with his loud mower.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Jul 7, 2016)

Tortoises are not deaf. They just hear at a different wavelength to us at a lower frequency and do not often react to aural stimuli. 
Their inner ears seem to be relatively well evolved and if they were non-functional I would expect to see some change to a more vestigial organ like our tail or appendix for example. it's been millions of years after all.
Also, on a more personal level Tidgy reacts to wifey's voice when she is not in the room and will look about for her, she (Tidgy, not wifey,no, actually wifey as well, sometimes) stretches and looks at me when i sing to her, she also (wifey, too) freezes if I say 'no' in a deep voice when she is about to do something naughty. She may do it anyway but she reacts to the sound. Sometimes she comes when i call; sometimes she doesn't, but I think she can hear okay, she is just disobedient and ignores me.


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## Kori5 (Jul 7, 2016)

Kori reacts to Paloma Faith's "Only love can hurt like this" and stretches his neck, looks at me and starts sniffing with his throat. I think it is because of the deep tones in the song.


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## Rue (Jul 7, 2016)

We shouldn't expect a tortoise to respond to sound the same way we do either. If hearing isn't their main sense, they likely interpret/react to sounds differently. And then there's individuality. Some may want to come at the sound of a owner's voice, and others may have no desire to do so. I mentioned I have a parrot that can talk and fly...but she opts to do neither. If she was your only bird, you might conclude that all parrots don't talk or fly, even though they can form words and have wings.


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## georgeandbessy (Jul 7, 2016)

Cheers for all the help


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## Kapidolo Farms (Jul 7, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> There is conflicting information as far as this subject is concerned.
> 
> Personally, I do not think that they hear, *BUT* they feel vibrations. I noticed that when I call Oli (my beloved Greek tort), when I talk, even when the washing machine/vacuum cleaner is on, I see *NO* reaction whatsoever.


That's what hearing is, perceiving energy vibrations, then so is vision. Taste and smell are also the same ability to perceive. There is energy perception, chemical perception, and tactile. That's pretty much it. Many animals have more than one route to perceive and engage in the environment of their existence via energy and chemicals. You see that they can't hear, that's a special skill. 
Rupert Sheldrake has done a good lot of experimentation for other perception abilities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Sheldrake . Some folks think he is a quak, but his studies are rigorous. I think he is on to something real.


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## BrianWI (Jul 7, 2016)

My bad knee can sense the weather, does that count?


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## Yvonne G (Jul 7, 2016)

BrianWI said:


> My bad knee can sense the weather, does that count?



Only if it also calls you to dinner.


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## jockma (Jul 8, 2016)

Bean reacts to the fridge opening and closing. It'll even wake him up if he's sleeping. He's a whistler so I know when I hear that "heww...hewww..." he's up and ready for a meal.

I have a monster fridge and it rumbles the ground we stand on when it closes, though. But I think it's funny that I can get into whatever shenanigans I want and he doesn't react unless it's the fridge specifically.


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## abigaaailllll (Jul 9, 2016)

this is not true, they do have ears which are located on the side of their face


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## Speedy-1 (Jul 9, 2016)

*I know this , Speedy was laying in the doorway of his hide and Buddy our dog (in another room) barked. Speedy sat right up and looked around as if to say "what's that dummy yapping about ?" *


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## Wolfie (Aug 18, 2016)

My Torts not only react to me talking, but know their names. If I call Tank, Lulu doesn't respond and vice versa.


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## jockma (Aug 18, 2016)

This is a weird question: does anybody on here own an erhu (Chinese fiddle)? Bean can hear the sound it makes. He can't hear or at least doesn't react to any other instrument I've played in front of him so I'm curious if all torts can hear the erhu.


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## orv (Aug 18, 2016)

Our two tortoises clearly respond to my and my wife's voice. When they are in their den or another of their hides, they come a charging expecting a treat, be it a strawberry or a head rub. They don't respond to other visitors to their habitat. It certainly seems as if they can hear; the empirical evidence is overwhelming.


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## Gillian M (Aug 19, 2016)

With all my respect to everyone and his/her opinion, it seems to me that we are only going around in vicious circles; (that are going to make us dizzy ). There does not seem to be a *clear* answer to whether torts can hear or not.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 19, 2016)

They can hear. Just not as well as some organisms.
WARNING : Article includes graphic necropsy images.
Please read :
https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example


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## Yvonne G (Aug 19, 2016)

Thank you, Adam. Very interesting article.


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## Gillian M (Aug 19, 2016)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> They can hear. Just not as well as some organisms.
> WARNING : Article includes graphic necropsy images.
> Please read :
> https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example


Thanks for posting Adam.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Aug 19, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> With all my respect to everyone and his/her opinion, it seems to me that we are only going around in vicious circles; (that are going to make us dizzy ). There does not seem to be a *clear* answer to whether torts can hear or not.




It is a matter of physics. Hearing is the perception of energy waves. What the brain does with those synapse pulses it gets from the organs that perceive the energy is hearing. That is not in any way shape or form ambiguous. It can not be more clear. Our ears have a specific range of perception. Perhaps the question is "do tortoises hear like we do?" there is no doubt some cross over of ability, but it is also likely not identical.


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## Wolfie (Aug 19, 2016)

The only way well ever know for sure is if someone turns into a tortoise. . . Or we ask the ninja turtles.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Aug 19, 2016)

Wolfie said:


> The only way well ever know for sure is if someone turns into a tortoise. . . Or we ask the ninja turtles.




That is no more rational to say than to suggest tortoises can't see because we are not tortoises so we will never know. I can see they have eyes and I know they can see with their eyes, they interpret (what the brain does with the information) what they see different than humans. You all do know elephants can hear, actually hear, with their foot pads. The foot pad is not an ear, but none the less they perceive energy waves with the pad of their foot. I do speak elephant and that's what they told me.


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## TerrapinStation (Aug 19, 2016)

Will said:


> That is no more rational to say than to suggest tortoises can't see because we are not tortoises so we will never know. I can see they have eyes and I know they can see with their eyes, they interpret (what the brain does with the information) what they see different than humans. You all do know elephants can hear, actually hear, with their foot pads. The foot pad is not an ear, but none the less they perceive energy waves with the pad of their foot. I do speak elephant and that's what they told me.



I just read a really cool book ( _Zoo Story_ by Thomas French) And it talked a lot about elephants, both in the "wild" and in captivity. French talked about the way elephants communicate, and how during culls on African game preserves elephants miles away knew that other elephants were being gunned down by helicopters. When the helicopters came near the surviving elephants, they went wild and got very violent uprooting trees and trying to hurl them at the choppers. Really amazing, intelligent creatures.


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## TerrapinStation (Aug 19, 2016)

And of course they can hear...... How else could they jam like this?


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 19, 2016)

TerrapinStation said:


> And of course they can hear...... How else could they jam like this?


QED.
Case closed.


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## leigti (Aug 19, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> With all my respect to everyone and his/her opinion, it seems to me that we are only going around in vicious circles; (that are going to make us dizzy ). There does not seem to be a *clear* answer to whether torts can hear or not.


There is a clear answer. People have stated it over and over again. In scientific and anecdotal Examples.


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## jockma (Aug 19, 2016)

So he CAN hear! He hasn't reacted to the piano or any instrument other than the erhu so I assume he hears that one best. Maybe because it's loud and feels like its sound is wiggling in your ears.

Next important question: what's their favorite genre of music?


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## Wolfie (Aug 19, 2016)

jockma said:


> So he CAN hear! He hasn't reacted to the piano or any instrument other than the erhu so I assume he hears that one best. Maybe because it's loud and feels like its sound is wiggling in your ears.
> 
> Next important question: what's their favorite genre of music?



Well of course they listen to The Turtles.


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