Clockwise, or Counter-Clockwise?

[Wewt]

Hello!

Question for everyone:

When your tortoise patrols his or her enclosure, does it do so in a clockwise or counter-clockwise manner?

Also, please state the hemisphere in which you live. It would be curious if all tortoises in the northern hemisphere go clockwise and all of the southerners go counter.

Me: Northern hemisphere, clockwise. Even if you pick him up and turn him around he will right himself and keep trucking!

 

[leigti]

My Russian tortoise will walk in either direction in his outdoor pen. I haven't noticed what he does in his indoor pad. I live in the northern hemisphere.

 

[JoesMum]

Interesting Joe has a preference for clockwise patrols of the boundaries. He will go counter clockwise, but not as frequently. Northern hemisphere here too, but I doubt that has anything to do with it. Joe is a creature of habit and I suspect that is more likely the reason!

 

[bouaboua]

My hermanni are all over the place....LOL,

They must from Mars.

 

[Yvonne G]

My sulcata, Dudley, is the only one of my many tortoises that 'patrols.' He goes back and forth along one side of his pen. In fact, he has made a path along that fence line. I'm in the northern hemisphere.

 

[AZtortMom]

My torts all patrol the fences in both directions. Northern hemisphere.

 

[Tom]

Mine don't pace their borders. The one exception would be an adult female going back and forth along the same section of wall when egg laying is eminent. As if she wants to get out and go in past the wall that is blocking her. On the occasion that I lift them over the wall and let them go, they walk in a straight line until they hit another barrier and then pace that until the finally pick a spot, dig a hole and lay their eggs. This is on 5 acres. I have often wondered just how far they would keep going if their were no fence. And where are they trying to go? My friend Tomas, the African tortoise researcher has only ever found sulcata hatchlings in marshy areas at the start of the rainy season. Maybe the females are moving to areas they know will be exceptionally wet for their babies to hatch out? There are some species of South American river turtles that will NOT lay eggs until they have walked 100-200 feet on dry land. A guy in FL set up a maze in a small area. The length of the path through the maze was more than 100 feet, but not in a straight line. He was still able to get eggs out of his females, and this is a species that know one could get eggs from before. He discovered this by accident when one of his females somehow escaped went 200 feet away and for the first time in captivity for this species, laid eggs far away from the pond where she lived. He speculates this is to get the eggs far enough from the waters edge, so the nests don't flood at the start of the rainy season.


Oh, all the details we DON'T know...