Can turtles absorb UVB radiation through their carapace, or only on the skin of their head, neck, and limbs?
Absorbing UVB radiation
- Thread starter GeoTerraTestudo
- Start date
- Status
We've debated this here before and it seemed to me that a small majority favored the skin only theory.
I don't know the answer. I just put the whole tortoise out in sunny pens.
I don't know the answer. I just put the whole tortoise out in sunny pens.
I think I would include myself in the small, "skin-only" majority. Being made of keratin, I think the carapacial scutes would be good for absorbing heat, but also at protecting the tortoise from solar rays. I think that's why turtles stretch out their legs while basking: the shell absorbs the heat, while the limbs absorb the UVB. They probably can't even absorb solar radiation through the scaly parts of the legs either, since scales are made of keratin, too. I would think they absorb UVB only on the bare-skin parts of the upper limbs and neck.
The outer layers of the shell are not very vascular, so there would only be limited transport of the chemicals involved. I think it would be similar to animals with the sorts of hair that UVB does not readily penetrate.
I was wondering the same too. I assume that the shell and skin would both matter
- Status
