Other Turtle Discussion :: I wonder..

[scripta_elegans]

I am working on growing my own Anacharis and Amazon Swords, and the question occured to me, do wild turtles know which plants they can or can't eat? There seems to be quite a few plants that they shouldn't consume, but how do they know in the wild if the plant is edible?

[missibsu]

I would assume it's an instinct thing...kind of like birds knowing what berries they can eat. But then the key word in all of that was ASSUME, lol. On the flip side, it's been said here often, they are opportunistic eaters. That's a good question.

[cam722]

my take on it is.. how many of the plants they shouldn't eat grow where they live? I mean if it's not available then there is no worry on what you can and can't eat.. not like they can have it delivered

[scripta_elegans]

Well for example, Waterhemlock grows in swamps marses and backwaters all over the US. It is highly toxic, and highly prolific. The chance that one of the RES bretheren will have the chance to eat it is quite high. The cicutoxin is strong enough to kill cattle, and people. Do the turtles know instinctively not to eat them?

[CountryGirl68]

From the University of Idaho and Washington State University Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation & Ecosystem Management:

Herbivores use odor and taste to detect and avoid toxic plants. Thus, they are attracted to sweet flavors and repelled by bitter flavors. For example, black-tailed deer first sniff a new plant; if the odor is acceptable, it tastes the plant and if it is still acceptable, eats it. Once familiar with the plant, deer eat it directly. Also, some studies indicate that feeding habits are genetically controlled by food identification mechanisms, however it is not well understood.

[marisa]

My RES will always stop to smell any food I'm handfeeding him before eating it (unless it's something he knows like pellets).

[scripta_elegans]

I did a bit of looking myself, and I came up with about the same info that you did country girl. I did read that captive RES do not show the same ability to discern between plants as their wild cousins. They are still not absolutely sure what of the behavior is innate or learned, and even exactly how the turtles decide a palnt is edible. They are such amazing complex creatures!

[SpotsMama]

You know the turtles are an incredibly ancient group. I believe they branched off from the prototypical reptile over 200 million years ago, in the Triassic period. They preceeded the dinosaurs and survived them. They must know what they're doing!