# Can Torts Hear?



## Gillian M (Sep 4, 2015)

Hello everyone. Am still undecided whether to believe that a tort can/cannot hear.

I remember we learnt at school that crawling animals do _not _*HEAR,* but feel vibrations. When I got Oli I confirmed this: I would make any sound, to see *no *reaction whatsoever. I have also done a lot of research on the net. Some say that torts have inner ears and can hear, whilst others say what I mentioned above. Am still confused. Would like to hear from you people who own torts and deal with them daily.

Thank you.


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## thehowards (Sep 4, 2015)

When I catch my Thor trying to eat dog poo I can yell across the yard and he looks at me every time and sometimes he will walk away and listen to me. I say no caca idk if torts can be trained but it seems like he listens when he want to lol.


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## SteveW (Sep 4, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> Hello everyone. Am still undecided whether to believe that a tort can/cannot hear.
> 
> I remember we learnt at school that crawling animals do _not _*HEAR,* but feel vibrations. When I got Oli I confirmed this: I would make any sound, to see *no *reaction whatsoever. I have also done a lot of research on the net. Some say that torts have inner ears and can hear, whilst others say what I mentioned above. Am still confused. Would like to hear from you people who own torts and deal with them daily.
> 
> Thank you.




Yes, they can hear. Better underwater, it turns out. 
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0054086


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## Gillian M (Sep 4, 2015)

thehowards said:


> When I catch my Thor trying to eat dog poo I can yell across the yard and he looks at me every time and sometimes he will walk away and listen to me. I say no caca idk if torts can be trained but it seems like he listens when he want to lol.


There's definitely a lot of conflicting info, here. You seem to think torts do hear, right? I have a feeling they do not hear.Talking from what I experienced with Oli.

I don't think they can be trained.I have tried time and once again to train Oli NOT to entre my bedroom. I only wasted time and energy.


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## leigti (Sep 4, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> There's definitely a lot of conflicting info, here. You seem to think torts do hear, right? I have a feeling they do not hear.Talking from what I experienced with Oli.
> 
> I don't think they can be trained.I have tried time and once again to train Oli NOT to entre my bedroom. I only wasted time and energy.


I sort of thought we've beat this dead horse. Towards Ken here, not quite the same as humans but they can hear. It is more like they feel vibrations. And tortes can be clicker trained. Zoos do it with the large tortoises for vet procedures. Look it up.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 5, 2015)

When my son was little, I thought he was partially deaf because often he wouldn't react to sounds. I actually stood behind him and clapped, and there was no reaction. We took him to have his hearing tested. Since he was so young, they couldn't give him the kind of hearing test where he would respond to indicate he had heard, so the tester watched his reactions intently. At first, the tester saw reactions and heavily praised my son. It didn't take long for my son to figure out how to not show any reaction at all. They had to end the test as they weren't getting anywhere. His hearing was fine; he just chose when he wanted to react.

I think Charlie hears me when I call, and that is why he comes, but maybe he sees me first. I don't think you can train a tortoise to not do tortoise things. I couldn't train him to walk around things rather than through them. Coming when I call and following me is about the extent of his obedience, and he is probably only doing those things because he wants to. 

I was never able to train my cats to stay out of my bedroom. That's why I kept the door shut. Then I got this device that sprayed something when they got near the door and that kept them away. Some rabbits can be potty-trained but mine wouldn't. Some cockatiels can be trained to talk but mine wouldn't.


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## Gillian M (Sep 5, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> When my son was little, I thought he was partially deaf because often he wouldn't react to sounds. I actually stood behind him and clapped, and there was no reaction. We took him to have his hearing tested. Since he was so young, they couldn't give him the kind of hearing test where he would respond to indicate he had heard, so the tester watched his reactions intently. At first, the tester saw reactions and heavily praised my son. It didn't take long for my son to figure out how to not show any reaction at all. They had to end the test as they weren't getting anywhere. His hearing was fine; he just chose when he wanted to react.
> 
> I think Charlie hears me when I call, and that is why he comes, but maybe he sees me first. I don't think you can train a tortoise to not do tortoise things. I couldn't train him to walk around things rather than through them. Coming when I call and following me is about the extent of his obedience, and he is probably only doing those things because he wants to.
> 
> I was never able to train my cats to stay out of my bedroom. That's why I kept the door shut. Then I got this device that sprayed something when they got near the door and that kept them away. Some rabbits can be potty-trained but mine wouldn't. Some cockatiels can be trained to talk but mine wouldn't.


Hi. That's strange to hear; that cat cannot be trained. I was told that cats a,d of course dogs can be trained to do/not to do a lot; unlike a tort.


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## stojanovski92113 (Sep 5, 2015)

thehowards said:


> When I catch my Thor trying to eat dog poo I can yell across the yard and he looks at me every time and sometimes he will walk away and listen to me. I say no caca idk if torts can be trained but it seems like he listens when he want to lol.


LOL..... NO CACA. I'm laughing so hard right now!!


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## Keith D. (Sep 5, 2015)

I believe from my observations and every day interactions with my torts that they hear quite well, I guess you just have to understand tortoises before you can determine this though especially if they are hard headed lol. Torts have a mind if there own but can be trained, I have had DTs and sulcatas that I have trained to use dog potty pads and to use a doggy door to go in and out of the house. 
Big Charlie has a thought going though, like he said some dogs, cats, rabbits and birds can and are willing to be trained, some just take longer then others and some you just have to be smarter then to get them to train, like SPs if theybthink they are smarter then the trainer they won't listen. I have trained rabbits to use a litter box numerous times, I have trained a cat to play fetch like a dog and use the human toilet, all of my dogs ring a bell I have by my front door when they want to go outside and have trained a female cockatiel (which is very difficult) to talk and whistle. Its all about repetitive actions and praise. People say torts brains dont function like other animals but from my observations those people are probably wrong. Just my opinion 
Oh and torts have incredible eyesight as well and can see in color.


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## Alaskamike (Sep 5, 2015)

There is a bit of confusion in the literature on this. 

Their ears are constructed a bit different that ours , however hearing is nothing more that the interpretation by our brain of vibration in the inner ear. 

The tortoise ear is not as complex as ours , but there is no reason to think the can't interpret different vibrations in their ear as different things - good and bad. 

They can associate certain vibrations ( like a clicker ) with certain events ( like a treat ). This has been proven. 

They also react to modulations in a voice. Which means they can associate a specific sound with their owner ( food God )


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## Rutibegga (Sep 5, 2015)

Alaskamike said:


> They also react to modulations in a voice. Which means they can associate a specific sound with their owner ( food God )



Am 99.99% certain that my tort has already made this association in the month I've had him. Not only that, but I think he knows my voice from my partner's (I am sole feeder/fun creator for Troggy).


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## Big Charlie (Sep 5, 2015)

Keith D. said:


> I believe from my observations and every day interactions with my torts that they hear quite well, I guess you just have to understand tortoises before you can determine this though especially if they are hard headed lol. Torts have a mind if there own but can be trained, I have had DTs and sulcatas that I have trained to use dog potty pads and to use a doggy door to go in and out of the house.
> Big Charlie has a thought going though, like he said some dogs, cats, rabbits and birds can and are willing to be trained, some just take longer then others and some you just have to be smarter then to get them to train, like SPs if theybthink they are smarter then the trainer they won't listen. I have trained rabbits to use a litter box numerous times, I have trained a cat to play fetch like a dog and use the human toilet, all of my dogs ring a bell I have by my front door when they want to go outside and have trained a female cockatiel (which is very difficult) to talk and whistle. Its all about repetitive actions and praise. People say torts brains dont function like other animals but from my observations those people are probably wrong. Just my opinion
> Oh and torts have incredible eyesight as well and can see in color.


My cat played fetch too! I didn't teach him to play fetch. He just did it because he liked getting the stick before my old dog could. If he couldn't pick it up, he would guard it to keep it away from the dog.

My other cat loved to play hide and seek; I mean really! She would tag me and then run and hide. If I didn't come looking, she would creep out to see where I was and then when she saw me, she went back and hid. When I found her, she loved to get cuddles. Cats can be trained to do tricks; just look at youtube, but it is almost always easier to train dogs.

It is obvious to me that Charlie can see in color. He always heads to green things. He has two water dishes and he prefers the green one. If he is eating something and drops it on the ground, he doesn't try to pick it up. I don't know if it because he doesn't see it or if he forgets about it immediately.


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## Merrick (Sep 5, 2015)

I call my cousin's torts in for feeding it is like a really loud whistle to them it is their dinner bell and they come running over


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## Gillian M (Sep 6, 2015)

Merrick said:


> I call my cousin's torts in for feeding it is like a really loud whistle to them it is their dinner bell and they come running over


Hi. So you think they can hear? I am beginning to think they cannot. I just do not see any reaction to any sound/noise from Oli.


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## Pearly (Sep 6, 2015)

thehowards said:


> When I catch my Thor trying to eat dog poo I can yell across the yard and he looks at me every time and sometimes he will walk away and listen to me. I say no caca idk if torts can be trained but it seems like he listens when he want to lol.


I love "no caca"!!! It made me lough out loud


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## thehowards (Sep 6, 2015)

I think it might be he knows if he doesn't walk away from the poop when I tell him I pick him up and move him a foot away maybe he just knows if he doesn't move I'll move him and he just really doesn't want to get picked up.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 7, 2015)

I've read that tortoises are supposed to have a good sense of smell. If Charlie has a good sense of smell, why does he try to eat things that aren't food? Yesterday I put a green plastic scoop on the ground for a moment and he tried to bite it. He'll do the same thing with my shoes and other things, especially if they are green.


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## Gillian M (Sep 7, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> I've read that tortoises are supposed to have a good sense of smell. If Charlie has a good sense of smell, why does he try to eat things that aren't food? Yesterday I put a green plastic scoop on the ground for a moment and he tried to bite it. He'll do the same thing with my shoes and other things, especially if they are green.


That sounds strange, but at the same time I wonder: 'Could he have been hungry? Could it curiosity? as you see 'anything green.' The colour might attract his attention.


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## leigti (Sep 7, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> I've read that tortoises are supposed to have a good sense of smell. If Charlie has a good sense of smell, why does he try to eat things that aren't food? Yesterday I put a green plastic scoop on the ground for a moment and he tried to bite it. He'll do the same thing with my shoes and other things, especially if they are green.


He's tasting it to see if it is edible.


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## Alaskamike (Sep 7, 2015)

Why do they bite things that are not food ? 

Animals smell things in different ways than we do. When I was involved more with dogs , there were cases where dogs ate things like coins, gloves, jewelry. 

But if you think of it , we handle food, then we handle objects. The smell of the food is still on the object. 

To the animal , it smells like food. 
Even the smell of human sweat can trigger it - like when they eat your dirty socks. 

One reason not to let your tort wander the house ! A paper clip on the floor might end up in their gut.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 7, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> That sounds strange, but at the same time I wonder: 'Could he have been hungry? Could it curiosity? as you see 'anything green.' The colour might attract his attention.


I think it is more curiosity than hunger. He eats all day long so I doubt he is ever really hungry. Maybe because I put it down, he thought it must be something wonderful since I am the source of so many wonderful tasty treats.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 10, 2015)

So today Charlie was happily grazing on the lawn in our backyard. The gardener came to mow. The mower was running as he came down the side of the house to the back and it was loud! Charlie continued to graze as if he hadn't heard. Then the gardener started on the lawn and Charlie looked up. He stayed frozen in the same position as the gardener mowed all around him. He never retreated into his shell so I guess he wasn't really scared.


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## leigti (Sep 10, 2015)

I'm sorry, but why weren't you out there getting your tortoise? What exactly were you waiting for?


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## Big Charlie (Sep 10, 2015)

leigti said:


> I'm sorry, but why weren't you out there getting your tortoise? What exactly were you waiting for?


I guess that makes me look like a bad tortoise parent!
He is close to 100 pounds so I can't move him. He was in no danger. The gardener comes every week so he is somewhat used to it. I think he was patiently waiting for the gardener to leave so he could get back to eating.


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## leigti (Sep 10, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> I guess that makes me look like a bad tortoise parent!
> He is close to 100 pounds so I can't move him. He was in no danger. The gardener comes every week so he is somewhat used to it. I think he was patiently waiting for the gardener to leave so he could get back to eating.


OK. I didn't realize he was huge. I'm sure he is used to the gardener if he sees them every week. They know routine and even noise won't bother them once they know what the noise is.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 11, 2015)

leigti said:


> OK. I didn't realize he was huge. I'm sure he is used to the gardener if he sees them every week. They know routine and even noise won't bother them once they know what the noise is.


I was surprised that he showed no reaction at all when the gardener made all that noise coming into the yard. Then once he could see him, he still didn't seem surprised. So I don't know what that says about their hearing. He would have felt the vibrations of the lawn mower before the gardener got in his line of sight, since he was facing away from the gate.


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## Gillian M (Sep 11, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> I guess that makes me look like a bad tortoise parent!
> He is close to 100 pounds so I can't move him. He was in no danger. The gardener comes every week so he is somewhat used to it. I think he was patiently waiting for the gardener to leave so he could get back to eating.


No, I do not think you are a bad tort parent. Is you tort that BIG? Would love to see a pic of him, if possible.


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## Gillian M (Sep 11, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> I was surprised that he showed no reaction at all when the gardener made all that noise coming into the yard. Then once he could see him, he still didn't seem surprised. So I don't know what that says about their hearing. He would have felt the vibrations of the lawn mower before the gardener got in his line of sight, since he was facing away from the gate.


I have come to the conclusion that torts *FEEL VIBRATIONS*, but do *NOT HEAR SOUNDS*.


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## Keith D. (Sep 11, 2015)

http://m.livescience.com/26361-turtles-hear-better-underwater.html


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## Kapidolo Farms (Sep 11, 2015)

Yeah, you all are missing the difference between the tool and the job done. 

The tool is the ear, the tympanum, the small bones anywhere in the body that can perceive non-light energy frequencies, it could be argued that this is also an artificial distinction*. The job done is sensing those energy vibrations and making responses to them. Whales hear with their jaw bone, elephants with the foot bottom, small flying insects with hair look alike things all over their bodies. 

Hearing in the biological sense means perceiving energy that comes to us as vibrations. It is the most primal sense, bacteria can 'hear' things. The most important interpretation of hearing something novel is fear. Telling whatever is doing the hearing to get away.

So yes as a matter of incredibly well supported facts all chelonians do indeed "hear".

*so sensing our environment comes from energy (light and sound, heat and cold), chemical cues odor and taste, and tactile (an extension of a form of energy and chemical). that's it. these are done in different ways and signals to our brains to do something with the cues are where the extra divisions comes into play. Light to our eyes and sound to our ears are both part of the same thing of vibrational energy. Sometimes this can spill into touch, as we feel the sun burning our skin. Salt can be tasted, smelled, and can also burn our skin, that is a chemical reaction. 

Even when someone says the feel the touch of God, that is energy.

All we have are energy and chemical receptors, that's all we got.


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## Big Charlie (Sep 11, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> No, I do not think you are a bad tort parent. Is you tort that BIG? Would love to see a pic of him, if possible.


yes, he is a big guy. He is a 16 year old sulcata. The second picture is of him as a baby in my 8 year old hands.


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## leigti (Sep 11, 2015)

Will said:


> Yeah, you all are missing the difference between the tool and the job done.
> 
> The tool is the ear, the tympanum, the small bones anywhere in the body that can perceive non-light energy frequencies, it could be argued that this is also an artificial distinction*. The job done is sensing those energy vibrations and making responses to them. Whales hear with their jaw bone, elephants with the foot bottom, small flying insects with hair look alike things all over their bodies.
> 
> ...


It was a tiny not all of us are missing it. Some are just refusing to acknowledge what everybody else knows.


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## paludarium (Sep 13, 2015)

Hi all,

for your reference:
http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/1/301.full

Erich


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## Eric Phillips (Sep 14, 2015)

lol!


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## Nephelle (Sep 17, 2015)

Big Charlie said:


> yes, he is a big guy. He is a 16 year old sulcata. The second picture is of him as a baby in my 8 year old hands.
> View attachment 148058
> View attachment 148059



That is the sweetest thing ever. So many years of friendship captured in just 2 pics


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## Big Charlie (Sep 17, 2015)

Nephelle said:


> That is the sweetest thing ever. So many years of friendship captured in just 2 pics


Thank you!


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## dmmj (Sep 17, 2015)

I've been sitting here young at my tortoise for the past couple of hours he just ignores me big jerk


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## pepsiandjac (Sep 17, 2015)

Im starting to think that my Greek tortoise has gone deaf


Gillian Moore said:


> Hi. So you think they can hear? I am beginning to think they cannot. I just do not see any reaction to any sound/noise from Oli.


Maybe your tortoise is deaf,I'm begining to think that 1 of my Greeks is deaf,


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## Gillian M (Sep 17, 2015)

pepsiandjac said:


> Im starting to think that my Greek tortoise has gone deaf
> 
> Maybe your tortoise is deaf,I'm begining to think that 1 of my Greeks is deaf,


No he is not.


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## Ciri (Sep 21, 2015)

I have two box turtles who come running when I tell them I have blueberries or peaches. They don't get those treats that often.


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## Gillian M (Sep 23, 2015)

Ciri said:


> I have two box turtles who come running when I tell them I have blueberries or peaches. They don't get those treats that often.


What came in your post does not confirm that torts can hear.


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## stigrk (Nov 18, 2020)

Old thread, but this seems to be the newest on this topic so I will wake it up 

This topic seems to pop up both here and on various tortoise facebook groups etc and it seems people cannot agree on what/if tortoises can hear.

I came upon this research article just now (it is from 2013 though so not that new) and found it interesting, thought perhaps people here would find it interesting as well if you have not read this before.

*The Auditory Sense in Tortoises, using Hermann’s Tortoise, Testudo hermanni*

Turns out someone actually made a systematic examination of what tortoises can actually hear and wrote a scientific article about it, much better than the pure speculation on the subject that seems to go around.

The study was made on Hermann's tortoises but is probably valid for other similar species.

Hermann's tortoises do hear, but they hear only a very limited frequency range compared to humans. Specifically it seems to be in the range 10 to 182 Hz, while humans (young ones with good hearing) will hear approximately 20 to 20.000 Hz.

This means they will hear more infrasound than us. Some vibrations we can only feel, they will hear as sound. While they will miss out on everything above 182 Hz.

What does this mean? Will they hear human voices.

Definitely yes. But they very little chance of recognizing words or any meaning.

The fundamental frequency of human voices, particularly male voices, are usually below 182 Hz. However. all the information is typically in the harmonic frequencies well above 182 Hz. For comparison phones usually limit the frequency range to 300 to 3400 Hz. (Landlines, not sure about cell phones but I think not likely they are much wider in range, more probably even narrower).

I often see people suggesting testing the tortoise by talking through a phone to see if they recognize their owner. This will always fail because the phone will not transmit sound in the range the tortoise can hear while the actual frequency range of human speech goes well below 300 Hz.

The reason for this cutoff is that humans cannot tell there is missing low frequencies. The human auditory equipment will actually synthesize the missing frequencies from the harmonics and to us it will appear that the phone is also transmitting frequencies below 300Hz, this is a well known auditory illusion that the telecom industry always have taken advantage off to simplify circuit requirements and cost.

If you wonder what human speech sounds like to a Hemann's tortoises? I have made a few samples using a free audio editing software (audacity) where I applied a very sharp cutoff filter for frequencies above 180 Hz.

*Adult male talking*
*Child talking*

_Please note: This is probably not scientifically accurate as the Tortoise will also have a frequency response curve within that range that needs to be applied and I know nothing about and it probably does not match the microphone I used to sample the raw sound before filtering. But it should be a reasonable indication of what human speech sound like to the tortoise._

Bonus points if you can recognize what is being said  should be very hard.

Some people also claims the tortoise only reacts to specific people talking.

I think this is not completely impossible. At least the fundamental frequency is quite different between male/female/child and I would expect the tortoise might also learn to recognize personal patterns in speech like rhythm, speed, pitch variations, spacing between words etc.

I guess the fundamental frequency of a voice is also personal depending on the shape and form of your larynx, however I would think the difference between two males for example is not very significant. But it can definitely hear the difference between the husband and the wife in an household.


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## Madkins007 (Nov 25, 2020)

Come on guys, this has been studied in the field, in labs, on live animals, during dissections, and more. Lots of good, if sometimes hard to read, articles and books on it. Also- why are we debating personal experience under non-controlled conditions when there is so much real research already done on it?

Do they 'hear'? Depends on how you define it, but they do not depend on sounds received by their ears much. Considering how much time they spend in their shells, underground, etc., AND that their food is not found by sound, AND that their main predators are pretty silent, why should they depend on their ears?

Can they sense 'sounds' that are low enough frequency to create vibrations in the water, ground, or their shells? Yes, absolutely- and they are really good at it. In some studies, desert tortoises have been shown to make subsonic sounds that travel for long distances through the ground and that others far away respond to it.

Can they hear noises being made by hatching eggs, fighting males, and mating couples? Yes, with lots of variation over distance they can 'hear' it, and no good controls over whether it is primarily received through the ear or shell. 

Do they respond under controlled conditions to sounds from loudspeakers, speakers, etc. that may be loud, but do not cause good ground vibrations, and are usually at normal human conversation frequencies? No.

One study found quickly as a starting point- https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example


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## stigrk (Nov 26, 2020)

You should first read the articles you link to, this one contradicts you ?


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## stigrk (Nov 26, 2020)

And it is the same I posted ?


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## stigrk (Nov 26, 2020)

Seriously, you should read that paper, it is interesting.

Here is a small sample from the Results and Discussion section:

»Tortoise keepers have again and again been
reporting that their tortoises came running
from their outdoor enclosures when they
played the piano. Studying the overview of
frequencies in Fig. 9 shows that the piano is
one of the musical instruments that can also
produce very deep sounds. The above results
also explain why tortoises will respond more
readily to the deeper male voice than to the
higher voice of a woman»


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## Relic (Nov 28, 2020)

Honestly, I don't care if torts can hear or not. If any one finds one that can talk, I'd be interested to see the video...


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