Incredible video shows a giant tortoise killing and devouring a bird: it is the first video evidence of such behavior
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himAlthough we are inclined to associate the turtle with slowness, but also with a prevalently herbivorous diet, these apparently calm and phlegmatic animals hunt their prey and also feed on meat. In fact, it is not the first time that a turtle has been 'pinched' to eat the meat of other animals, but until now it was not clear whether it personally took care of killing its prey or whether it was animals found already dead in the habitat.
Now the video of the researcher demonstrates the clear intentionality in the hunting process and the implementation of a real 'plan of attack': the turtle approaches the bird with its mouth open and the tongue retracted - a typical attitude of turtles. in the attack position. Also, it looks like the tortoise has some experience in catching and killing birds - as if she knew very well what she was doing.
While it has now been established that the tortoise is also a hunter animal, many questions remain open to researchers. What are the species of turtle dedicated to hunting? How often do they engage in this activity? What nutrients do they get from killed animals? Do they feed only on birds or do they also hunt other animals? Many observations on the ground will be needed to be able to dispel all these doubts.
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Fonte: Current Biology
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