Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozric Jonathan
Tortoises measure daylength through the pineal gland; this triggers winding down processes but the tortoise does not 'think' winter is coming.
Of course, our tortoises get to know we are a source of food and this has a powerful effect on behaviour. Although their hearing is poor compared to humans' they are very sensitive to vibrations and I susepct that is why they come running.
But I don't mean to diasgree with my friends here, the tortoise is a fantastic creature and many of the species we keep are highly adaptable. They have an acute sense of taste and smell which gives them an ability to detect what is edible. They also learn over time about foods - hatchlings will bite at any green obect but juvenile tortoises have a scale of preferences and only eat certain foods when there is nothing else available.
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To me, that in itself is saying "intelligence".
xxx An excellent reply , as always though Jon ! xx
