wild?
2007-03-24 05:45:45 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
The shell is similar to an egg. The typical adult tortoise's shell is strong enough to withstand a bite from a big cat- jaguar, lion, etc.
However, they can be broken by sharp, sudden hits (drops, hammers, nasty kids, etc. They can also be damaged by gnawing and chewing as opposed to biting.
The stuff is just thick bone covered with several layers of other tissues.
Young turtles and tortoises have lots of predators, and spend a lot of their lives in hiding. As they get older, they use other strategies to avoid predation- swimming, hiding, tucking their body into their shell, etc. The thick shell is just part of the plan.
Older adult turtles have few predators- between their size, survival smarts, and hardened shells (from sheer age), there are few things that will bother.
2007-03-24 13:44:58 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they have predators, Dog are one , They flip the turtle over and eat the tender part of the under belly. As for breaking the shell it is not impossible to break As for I've rescued many abandoned turtle from kids that kept them for pets until mom says to let them go. By then the turtle has been mark up with finger nail polish or half broken shells from abuse If you find any that has been abused until you can find a better solution I would like to recommend that you fried hamburger and rice up to feed them or bug and slugs is there favorite food until you can let them go. If the shell is really bad you may wish to find a rehab. for the turtle to a zoo or other place it will not Survies in wild on it on like that..
2007-03-24 06:12:23 · answer #2 · answered by kathleen c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they're not as strong as you think. My friend found a tortoise that had obviously been dropped from a great height. Most of the shell was cracked and the little fella had lost some blood. We took it to the vet to get him patched up and it was okay in the end
2007-03-24 05:52:21 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our tortoise is about 55 years old now. When I was a child I took a hatchet to his shell. It didn't break, but he still has 3 dents in his shell where I hit him. I also remember myself and also my children standing on his shell so tortoise shells must be quite strong.
2007-03-24 06:03:28 · answer #4 · answered by Caveman's daughter 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes turtles have had broken shells. i know that they have predators... there was some story about a lion or cheetah or something flipping it over and trying to scoop it out of its shell. I dont know how good they taste.. i've never eaten turtle
2007-03-24 05:52:35 · answer #5 · answered by nicole 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought eagles dropped tortoises to break the shell but couldn't find anything about it online. Apparently jackals eat them.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=tortoise+predators&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
Seagulls and fish eat baby turtles, sharks eat the adults
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=turtle+predators&spell=1
Lots of animals eat their eggs.
2007-03-24 11:54:07 · answer #6 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A turtle has a hard shell, but it can be broken by mean kids with rocks, drunks with beer bottles or seals that eat them.
2007-03-24 05:51:29 · answer #7 · answered by beez 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not quite sure but it's pretty tough to protect the tortoise..thats if it does'nt get dropped.
2007-03-25 06:04:13 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No not imposible to break. My dog \chewed my tortoise shell unfortunately he died
2007-03-24 06:02:56 · answer #9 · answered by Miss RoZy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a hammer would do the job easy
2007-03-24 05:48:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋