Can Tortoises Feel Their Shell? (+How Tortoises Feel Touch)

The shell of a tortoise is definitely the most unique thing about it. But the fact that it’s so unique, makes it hard to know things about it. For example, can tortoises feel their shell, and if they can, do they feel touche the same way we do?

Tortoises can feel their shells when being touched. Tortoise shells contain nerves that allow them to feel when being touched. But those nerves are covered with bones and scutes so the feeling is slightly reduced.

But, as you can imagine the way tortoises feel touch on their shell is not exactly the same you and I feel when somebody touches our hand or shoulder. Instead, the feeling is a little bit more subtle.

How Tortoises Feel Touch On Their Shell

Tortoises are able to feel when you touch them on the shell, but as I said this feeling is not too intense due to the way the shell is built.

The nerves themselves can be found somewhere in the middle of the shell, which is made out of bone, so from the start, this takes away a lot of their ability to feel touch. And tortoise shells are also covered with scutes, which are small keratin (the same thing our nails are made out of) plates, which further reduce their ability to feel touch.

Due to all those protective layers, most of the feelings in the shell that tortoises have are caused by vibrations carried out through the entire shell.

Tortoises can feel heavier touches due to the vibrations that traverse the shell, but they won’t feel light touches that don’t produce vibrations.

The closest comparison that we have to how tortoises’ shells can feel touch is touching our nails. If you use your finger to touch your nail you will feel it, but if you were to use the corner of a small sheet of paper to gently touch your nail you won’t feel a thing since it causes no vibrations.

But just like some people have thicker nails and bones than other people, the same thing applies to tortoises, especially between different species, so not all tortoises feel their shells the same way.

Not All Tortoise Shells Are the Same

If you take a quick look at a few different tortoise species you will notice that there are differences in the shape of their shells. Some are flatter while others are rounder, some are smooth, some have ridges, and so on.

All of those differences are very significant when it comes to the way vibrations travel through the shell.

So, basically, some shells are better at being able to feel touch than others.

But all of this raises one more question, why the difference, why aren’t all shells able to feel the same way, and why are they able to feel so little?

Why Tortoise Shells Are the Way They Are

The reason why tortoises are able to feel so little with their shells is closely related to the way they’ve evolved.

The first ancestors of the tortoise were most likely living in the ocean, then they moved on land, then they moved underground, then they started going in all over the place, and this is why today we have so many different species that some live on land while others leave underwater.

During this time their bodies adapted and formed a thick shell around them that would protect them from predators that could attack from any direction, and protect them from cavins while digging. And since the shell was so effective it still remains on them today.

This shell meant that they would have to give up some of the ability to feel soft touches and rely more on vibrations. And for tortoises, this trade-off was completely worth it.

Over the years some tortoise species have ended up in somewhat safer environments than others, so their shells didn’t need to be as thick, so to save up energy, the shells started becoming slightly thinner, and this also made their ability to feel with their shells somewhat better.

For some other tortoises that live in more dangerous environments, the exact opposite is true.

In short, the ability to feel light touches wasn’t really necessary for a tortoise, but the need for protection was. And having their shell being able to feel every slight touch would be inconvenient.

Final Thoughts

Tortoise shells are a very unique thing, and there are a lot more interesting things to find out about them. So if you want to know more about tortoise shells, how they function, what they are made out of, and if there is any tortoise out there that has no shell you can check out those articles:

What Are Turtle Shells Made Of ? (with Pictures and Video)

Do Turtles Outgrow Their Shells? (With Pictures)

Are Turtles Born with Shells? (with Pictures and Video)

Can Turtles Live Without Their Shell? (With Pictures and Video)

Turtles Without Shells, do They Exist? (With Pictures and Video)