How social are tortoises? This episode we look at a paper investigating tortoises’ preference for faces, and a second on whether they stick together. While neither provide definitive answers, they both pose questions about how tortoises interact. 

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Main Paper References:

Versace E, Damini S, Stancher G. 2020. Early preference for face-like stimuli in solitary species as revealed by tortoise hatchlings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117:24047–24049. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011453117.

Ward M, Marshall BM, Hodges CW, Montano Y, Artchawakom T, Waengsothorn S, Strine CT. 2021. Nonchalant neighbors: Space use and overlap of the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise. Biotropica:btp.12981. DOI: 10.1111/btp.12981.

Species of the Bi-Week:

David P, Vogel G, Nguyen TQ, Orlov NL, Pauwels OSG, Teynié A, Ziegler T. 2021. A revision of the dark-bellied, stream-dwelling snakes of the genus Hebius (Reptilia: Squamata: Natricidae) with the description of a new species from China, Vietnam and Thailand. Zootaxa 4911:1–61. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4911.1.1.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Crane M, Silva I, Marshall BM, Strine CT. 2021. Lots of movement, little progress: a review of reptile home range literature. PeerJ 9:e11742. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11742.

Montano, Y, Marshall, BM, Ward, M., Silva, I., Artchawakom, T., Waengsothorn, S., & Strine, C. 2021. A stable home: Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimated home ranges of the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise. OSF Preprints. DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/ka5t6

Rai TP. 2020. An Elongated Tortoise Attempting to Prey on a Buff-striped Keelback the Turtle Rescue and Conservation Centre in Eastern Nepal. IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians 27:297–299.

Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Mike Mooney

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, www.thepassionhifi.com