To catch a bird, a predator does not need to have high speed or reflexes. In an article published in
On footage taken in the forests of the islandFrigatebird of the Seychelles archipelago off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean, an adult female turtle slowly moves towards its target - a chick of a bowing tern. The young bird had already fledged, but did not yet know how to fly; she probably fell out of the nest.
Once close enough, the turtle somewhatonce tried to bite the tern, but it gradually moved away from it. In addition, the chick flapped its wings and made threatening attacks with its beak. Eventually the reptile pushed the bird to the end of the trunk, so that it no longer had the opportunity to retreat. So the turtle managed to bite the chick on the head. As a result of the attack, he died and then fell to the ground. After this, the reptile descended from the log, picked up the bird and swallowed it whole. In total, the hunt lasted seven minutes, of which 92 seconds took a slow “chase” along the tree trunk.
Credit: Anna Zora
“The turtle looked straight at the ternand purposefully walked towards her. It was very, very strange and completely different from the usual behavior of these reptiles, says Justin Gerlach, director of biological research at Peterhouse College, University of Cambridge. “It was terrifying and amazing at the same time.”
Zoologist Anna Zora, who filmed the video, notesthat the turtle approaches the chick with open jaws and a retracted tongue. According to Gerlach, this is typical of the aggressive behavior of turtles - as if the tern were someone who needed to be killed, not just eaten.
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