The World Used To Be Full of Giant Tortoises
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Рік томуThe world used to be full of giant tortoises, and the ones that live on the Seychelles and Galápagos islands are all we have left. But how did these big reptiles get to the islands in the first place? And why is turtle anatomy so weird?
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Host: Hank Green (he/him)
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Sources:
islandbiodiversity.com/hunting...
www.livescience.com/can-turtl...
www.nature.com/articles/ncomm...
animaldiversity.org/accounts/...
animaldiversity.org/accounts/...
www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/al...
nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/al...
animals.sandiegozoo.org/anima...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...
www.nature.com/articles/d4158...
www.biorxiv.org/content/biorx...
www.torreyaguardians.org/hanse...
link.springer.com/chapter/10....
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/p...
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onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/p...
courses.lumenlearning.com/sun...
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Images:
Thumbnail photo: Dr. Dennis Hansen
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@BizarreBeasts 10 місяців тому
Find your wonderful, signed, limited edition art print by Emily Graslie right here: store.dftba.com/collections/bizarrebeasts/products/emily-graslie-print
@a.j.kimball1240 Рік тому
You mentioned Komodo dragons being a case of insular gigantism, and while this is partially true, what's fascinating is that they are actually an example of insular dwarfism as well! Komodo dragons and their relatives were once widespread throughout South East Asia, and even into Australia. The ancestors of modern Komodo dragons likely reached their massive sizes on an island in SEA, but when they reached the tiny island of Komodo, they actually shrunk! So islands helped Komodo dragons reach their huge size, but they also shrunk em down a bit, and I find that to be fascinating.
@Jesse__H Рік тому
That's very interesting! I'd only add that the video didn't precisely say Komodo dragons are an example of insular gigantism, rather that they're an example of Foster's Rule / The Island Rule (2:05), which covers bigger animals getting smaller and smaller animals getting bigger 😊👍
@vincentx2850 Рік тому
This is not completely true. While monitor lizards as a group likely originates in Asia, the lineage which Komodo dragon belongs to (along with things like perentie, lace monitor and ackie monitor) evolved in Australasia in a single radiation event. There is in fact fossils of Komodo dragon itself in Australia. And like the giant tortoises, Komodo dragon's range expanded into the Flores islands, and later going extinct in the island continent where they came from, making those surviving today a relic population.
@henryarmstrong3040 Рік тому
Can I just say this is an amazing conversation of umm actually. And I greatly appreciate it. Herpatology rules!
@sampagano205 Рік тому
@@vincentx2850 also the closest relative we know komodo dragons ever had is Megalania, the largest lizard to ever live (on land). Which means the common ancestor of all of those monitors was probably also a giant.
@a.j.kimball1240 Рік тому
@@vincentx2850 Exactly right, although unless I am getting my information mixed up (which is totally possible) that komodo dragon fossils found elsewhere in australasia are indeed larger than modern individuals in komodo. Again, totally possible Im misremembering something though. Thank you for elaborating on it though!
@NewMessage Рік тому
When I was a kid, the teacher had us all stand up and tell the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, and after a litany of police, firemen, soldiers and sports stars, I stood up and proudly declared I wanted to be a tortoise. Over 40 years later, I still stand by that declaration.
@necroseus Рік тому
Did you succeed?????????
@bobjoefred777 Рік тому
Same, tbh
@hicknopunk Рік тому
Do you play War Tortoise 2 on Android?
@takenname8053 Рік тому
How big are your ribs?
@kellydalstok8900 Рік тому
I know at least two zoos that have a (fake?) giant tortoise shell on display that you can crawl into. That way you can test if a tortoise life suits you.
@jansenart0 Рік тому
Make no mistake: most "herbivores" are only such because they have difficulty acquiring prey, and are actually opportunistic omnivores. You'll know what I mean if you've ever seen that horse with the chicks.
@JubioHDX Рік тому
yup, theres no such thing as a strict herbivore/carnivore in the wild, a turtle or a horse would eat a mouse if it didnt try to run, and even a cat will decide to eat some grass now and then when it feels it needs it (to be clear i mean the more "strict" carnivore wild cats ik domestic ones are a bit more adapted for being genuine omnivores)
@jansenart0 Рік тому
@@JubioHDX My RES is a fierce hunter. We've trained him in the ways of extreme violence and fear of the unknown.
@kolt9051 10 місяців тому
I had no idea. Both this video and your comment blow my mind
@jansenart0 10 місяців тому
@@kolt9051 This is what it's all about. ♥
@akechijubeimitsuhide 9 місяців тому
Didn't some horse eat a wholeass French soldier during Bonaparte's Russian campaign
@theghosthero6173 Рік тому
Something to note. This video says giant tortoise didn't exist in Australia. While it it true that giant tortoise didn't exist in Australia, this might be mostly due to the fact that niche was already occupied by stem tortoise, cousins of tortoise such as the giant meiolania, that existed there. They had horns and club like tails, pretty cool.
@WildWorld81 Рік тому
And they existed on offshore islands until the mid-Holocene (New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and possibly Vanuatu and Fiji)
@kyrab7914 Рік тому
Neat! I smell a good eons episode
@VlachosVaggelis Рік тому
Meiolanids are not tortoises in the strict sense and in fact sit outside the clade of modern turtles. They were terrestrial turtles but not tortoises. Now, some records previously attributed to meiolanids from Vanuatu islands we now think that they actually belong to tortoises! How did they get there is another story…
@loxodoncyclotis1823 Рік тому
They were basically Ankylosaurs
@PastelBat Рік тому
I am so happy you mentioned Jonathan!!! I have been fascinated by him for years and I even celebrated his birthday last year!
@DAMfoxygrampa Рік тому
That's a cool idea, I may do the same
@BattlingBeasts Рік тому
You guys forgot to mention the third giant tortoise- the sulcata tortoise of Central Africa which can grow up to two hundred pounds and is the only remaining mainland giant tortoise.
@lonestarr1490 Рік тому
Do they count as _giant tortoises,_ or just _really large tortoises?_
@Exquailibur Рік тому
The size gap between the sulcata and the two island giants isnt enough to make them incomparable, plus the fourth largest species is significantly smaller only getting to around 60 lbs. Id personally argue that the sulcata tortoise that weights more than me is giant while the one that weighs half as much as me is large. when it comes to reptiles anything over 100 pounds is pretty giant and not a lot of reptiles get there, not even all the crocodilians. The 500 lb turtles that live on those islands are just monsters at that point, giant isnt enough to describe them.
@kingofthegrill Рік тому
And the fourth, Manouria Emys, the Giant Asian Forest Tortoise AKA Burmese Tortoise, in my opinion one of the coolest tortoise and by all accounts the oldest species of tortoise still alive.
@Exquailibur Рік тому
@@kingofthegrill I like how that species has a comparably more flattened shell than most
@kingofthegrill Рік тому
@@Exquailibur That, their eyes, their throats, they've got a lot of really cool characteristics you don't see on many tortoises.
@meghanandrews6574 Рік тому
This is exactly the turtle content I've been craving! Turtles and tortoises are the best! 🐢
@adadeutsch9593 Рік тому
Very accurate observation!
@andrewstunich8173 Рік тому
I was paddle boarding in Kauwaii several years ago when I observed a shadow in the water of to my right. I was initially scared it was a large shark but then as it swam underneath me I got a good look and it was a very latge turtle of some type. It was so big and beautiful that I was ecstatic to have had the opportunity to see it so closely in its natural environment unmolested.
@TurtleNerite Рік тому
Technically, there was a giant tortoise in Australia, the Meiolania, though it is not closely related to the modern turtles. Instead its a stem-turtle whose group is a sister-taxon to the modern Chelonia.
@dappertophat Рік тому
videos about animal/biology facts make me very happy. the existence of this channel makes me very happy.
@IcyMidnight Рік тому
Foster's rule doesn't explain the giant tortoises, it simply describes it.
@adamsouza7140 Рік тому
Hey, "believe science"
@Balu_420 Рік тому
As a child of maybe 5 or 6 years, my family and I went to a zoo in Stuttgart. As a curious child, I went ahead of my parents in the reptile enclosure. When I see this huge tortoise my younger me just HAD to sit on that beautiful creature. The shell was super warm and felt extremely comftable. A minute or so later some adult person told me I should not do this, they can bite off fingers. Big sad. I felt like I found a new buddy
@rammylive4081 Рік тому
you should do an episode on the grasshopper nematode (Mermis nigrescens). with their unique method of locomotion when scanning for hosts and its atypical snake-like slithering otherwise, its thousands of eggs carried at a time, and its eye which only occurs in females and use of crystalline haemoglobin to help sense light (something not observed in any other organism), there is plenty to talk about. i reckon it could make a neat little pin, too.
@Kelly-ib1hf Рік тому
Cannot express how much joy the Bizarre Beasts pin club brings to me. People ask me about the pins all the time and I get to geek out about how cool nature is. And I really enjoy defacing my (gifted) Kate Spade purse with nerdy pins.
@Aj-xo5ud Рік тому
Tortoises be chillin
@Keenakeen 6 місяців тому
"There used to be giant tortoises on every continent, except for Australia and Antarctica." Meiolania, the Horned Tortoise: "Am I a joke to you?"
@marcwhittle9810 10 місяців тому
In much of North America there was a a giant tortoise called Hesperotestudo crassicutata that existed from the Early Miocene until terminal Late Pleistocene or perhaps even into the Early Holocene about 9000BCE. It was more than twice the size of the Galapagos Tortoise.
@Cowboy_Cowboy Рік тому
0:55 wait THATS how you pronounce Seychelles? I’ve only ever said it in my head and I’m so glad for that now
@ThatJaymsWisdom Рік тому
Still the greatest channel on UKposts. I'm having a terrible day (again) and this video really helped calm me down (again).
@sydneymomma11 Рік тому
Sending you love and hope you feel better soon. 💜
@ThatJaymsWisdom Рік тому
@@sydneymomma11 Thanks ♥️
@BizarreBeasts Рік тому
Hope you are feeling better!!!
@ThatJaymsWisdom Рік тому
@@BizarreBeasts I'm a little better after the weekend, thank you. I think I should probably get a new job, teaching and marking at the uni I'm at is killing my spirit for education.
@jamesjuggler5187 Рік тому
I know this will sound crazy but I live in Minnesota and in 1998 or 1999 I was driving through the area around fort ripely near pillager mn. Suddenly I saw a van stopped ahead of me on the side of the road so I slowed down as I got closer I could see what looked like a bear laying in the middle of the road. When I got closer I could see it was shiny and not furry. It was a giant turtle and it was the height of the wheel well of the van and twice as long. It was huge. I didn’t have a cell phone back then but I took notice of how large it was based on how close to the van it was. They say this turtle does not exist but I saw it. It looked like a box turtle in its shape and I never saw its head as it was turned away. It was awesome.
@kingjsolomon Рік тому
I had the honor of meeting two Galapagos tortoises at a rescue in Los Angeles. They are so sweet. So sad their numbers are so low.
@raph5122 Рік тому
In australia there's a giant tortoise called the meiolania that went extinct when we arrived there
@lollertoaster Рік тому
I'd argue to the contrary - giant tortoises are still an example of the Foster rule. Specifically, they are an example of island dwarfism.
@wweturtle Рік тому
I love turtles and tortoises. This is by far my favorite pin, and I don't even have it yet.hoping I get the green one, but the rainbow one is cool too.
@jedinite241 Рік тому
Some good fun info thank you 😊
@ThatJaymsWisdom Рік тому
Thanks for putting the calendars on offer! I have now ordered one. When shipping to the UK was £11 on top of the £22 calendar price that seemed a bit much but now I can basically get it with free shipping (£22 all in) and that makes me very, very happy. Happy New year and much love
@Exquailibur Рік тому
There are still some rather large mainland tortoises alive today like the African spurred tortoise, even leopard and gopher tortoises are somewhat large even if not as gigantic as the island species.
@armpitcat1298 Рік тому
It’s so nice too get another bizarre beast video
@richtygart6855 Рік тому
Thailand still has mini giant tortoises. They are nothing like the ones in this film but they can get a few feet long and stand a couple feet tall
@bugguyonline Рік тому
IM SO HAPPY !!!!! NEW VIDEO AAAHHHH
@brianpstern Рік тому
Loving all the anatomy visuals in this episode!!
@fishkayks Рік тому
The rare tortoise pin looks like he has a quilt for a shell, I need him ❤
@bugguyonline Рік тому
i hope you get him!
@CharlieLynchIsRealCool Рік тому
An easy way to tell the difference between Aldabra and Galapagos tortoises is their head shapes. Aldabra Tortoises have a pointier nose, whereas Galapagos Tortoises have a head that looks more like E.T. You can remember this by remembering than an Al*Dab*ra tortoise noise looks pointy, like how your folded arm is, when you dab on 'em.
@42Fossy Рік тому
Lol thank you so much.
@ooooneeee Рік тому
Dabbing tortoises 😂
@juncohill Рік тому
They move like they're being puppeted.
@pandoraeeris7860 Рік тому
The Tortoise shall rise again.
@davewalter1216 10 місяців тому
I always learn something here and something both interesting and thought provoking.
@ramennoodledoodle7914 Рік тому
Great video
@bugguyonline Рік тому
YESSSSS NEW VIDEO
@Random_sapiens Рік тому
There is no oogway -Master Accident
@jarniwoop 9 місяців тому
In a museum in Florida I saw a fossil shell of a giant tortoise from the Pleistocene.
@em-agan Рік тому
YEA JONATHAN YEA!!!! I love him so much 💛
@peterbreis5407 Рік тому
The Komodo dragons are actually the smaller cousins of the now extinct Megalania prisca giant goanna in Australia. So rather than island gigantism they may just be a remnant smaller population of megafauna.
@americaroleplayer Рік тому
First Bizarre Beast of 2023! I'd rate his cuddlebility 12/10, they're very big, they're good for hugging.
@decameter Рік тому
tortoises are some of my favorite reptiles. I've always wanted to own one, but knew I couldn't have a giant one to love and care for as the winter months just wouldn't allow the magnificent creature to graze outside (with food I'd provide to ensure a balanced diet) during the cold. And I just think it'd be cruel to coop up a giant beauty inside, for either of us really. So I stick with my snake, who I love dearly as well.
@cobaltsteele Рік тому
This was a delightful video, thank you
@adadeutsch9593 Рік тому
I like tortoises and turtles so much!
@dianewallace6064 Рік тому
Very interesting, I mean, Bizaaaaare.
@Godwinpounds4333 Рік тому
Hello 👋 how’re you doing?
@Lord_of_Snels 5 днів тому
2:15, Komodos are not a good example of this effect, just like the tortoises they were already massive before moving to the islands, with bones of Komodo dragons of equal size to the ones we see today being found in Australia and dated to exist 4 million years ago, far before they moved to Flores and Komodo, showing they originated in Australia and no island gigantism existed in their evolution
@windlessoriginals1150 5 місяців тому
Thank you 🐢
@garydaniel8096 10 місяців тому
God Bless Hank. Get well soon!
@JerrBear81 Рік тому
Cloaca is one of those words that sounds like it should be used more often, but can't be due to its definition. How many conversations can the word cloaca be used in?
@nicole127x Рік тому
TIL "cloacal respiration," which means some turtles can breathe through their butts.
@Evenape Рік тому
The chicken's "butt" is a cloaca~
@skuzzlebutt8825 Рік тому
best location ever!!!! we had to go for mile to find it...
@BlackyBrownDestruction9337 Рік тому
More videos of tortoises swimming please
@LaraPosting Рік тому
Mild correction here, there were giant Australian tortoises belonging to the genus Meiolania, with the species M. platyceps reaching up to 3m in length and 1 in height
@ashvintof1238 8 днів тому
In Mauritius. They take 100 giant turtles. From the Sechelles
@JurassicLion2049 Рік тому
Wildlife is a trip
@RedK11 Рік тому
Aren't most herbivores opportunistic omnivores? Best video example being the horse eating the chick
@Tigmas258 Рік тому
I love these guys they look like dinosaurs
@ylhajee Рік тому
When did tortoises go extinct in most places? Are they among the megafauna that went extinct as soon as humans arrived in the area and hunted them?
@vincentx2850 Рік тому
Human expansion in the broad sense, which includes other Homo species like H. erectus, is a possible cause. Climate fluctuation is another possible cause.
@royhay5741 Рік тому
Australasia once had giant tortoises called horned turtles
@EyesOfByes Рік тому
4:17 My new indie pop rock band
@nomoru6451 Рік тому
One of the locations for their development could've very well had been America because this whole land was once called turtle island
@turquoisewitch.wild-owl Рік тому
I was thinking of getting the calendar, but when I clicked on it, it was still $24. Let me know if I'm supposed to do anything else to get the half-off price. Thanks.
@Godwinpounds4333 Рік тому
Hi how are you doing?
@feldar Рік тому
If a turtle's shell is part of their skeleton, does that mean that it's actually an exoskeleton?
@Dr.IanPlect Рік тому
No, the majority of the skeletal structure is still internal, they still have endoskeletons.
@a_tiny_ella Рік тому
I am very very happy after watching this
@parkerpshebnisky1051 Рік тому
The giant tortoise is like a living Dinosaur!
@bugguyonline Рік тому
i love the little pin on your shirt :3
@BizarreBeasts Рік тому
Would you like your own giant tortoise pin?! Join the pin club today at store.dftba.com/collections/bizarrebeasts/products/bizarre-beasts-pin-subscription-1
@wightbear6501 Рік тому
Hi! I'm in the pin club and would LOVE for you to cover Vulture Bees, they feed off meat and I've heard their meat-honey is edible!? Please explain 😂
@edwardfletcher7790 Рік тому
Australia had Giant tortoises, just not in human history.
@KhalidKhan-zp5rj Рік тому
I shall wait much for new videos about tortoises ok send soon thankyou
@andrew27 Рік тому
Hey how about a video about armadillos? Their armour is incredbile, I'd really like to understand more.
@BizarreBeasts Рік тому
Hank actually did do an armadillo video when this show was just part of vlogbrothers! ukposts.info/have/v-deo/oYp0jG6rq2l9yYU.html
@andrew27 Рік тому
@@BizarreBeasts ah thank you very much I must've have missed that one!
@Jaze2022 Рік тому
Must be a different time when giant lumbering beasts can thrive. Maybe a bunch of smart monkeys noticed they were easy pickings
@cindroman Рік тому
Please do a Muntjac 🥰
@offdickson3062 10 місяців тому
Do you still have the pins?
@PureVikingPowers 6 місяців тому
Does fosters rule work on spiders? I don't want us to discover a 1 meter huge spider
@Luk844 Рік тому
With one of the most powerfull jaws and bites per square inch,that would be very interesting.
@BrandonLee-ig1qg Рік тому
Breeding programs to conserve the species would be beneficial
@nickh.isalldamgenocntrol4444 Рік тому
Don’t forget about the tiny Deer in the keys
@michaelgarrow3239 Рік тому
Trilobites!!! The world was covered in Trilobites for hundreds of millions of years. 👽
@68corvette08 Рік тому
She sells Seychelles by the seashore. Lol.
@stax6092 Рік тому
Awesome.
@DoktorSpakur Рік тому
UKposts commercials just keep getting longer and longer and louder and louder
@Apathetic_agnostic Рік тому
There were many more species of giant turtles/tortoises, prior to Homo sapiens arrival: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tortoise
@PureVikingPowers 6 місяців тому
This remind me of the episode on The Boys when they killed translucent and stuck TNT in his but like a turtle cause he was invincible
@terolix Рік тому
Dang it I missed the pin 😭
@raphlvlogs271 Рік тому
this video can also be titled tortoises used to be much bigger
@silenttakuza Рік тому
Baby birds can't catch a break.
@MarshaNPILoveCanada Рік тому
*Go Indonesia!!* From Bandung, Indonesia
@michellegutierrez2119 Місяць тому
Beautiful turtles they look like dinosaurs 🦖… with a shell 🐚 on them and a tail on them to show them off 😝 🐢…..
@stanleytandiono4857 Рік тому
Connor aka cdawgva would love to see this vid
@AccidentalNinja Рік тому
Shoulder blades inside the rib cage is wild.
@jkrigelman Рік тому
Well, the biggest tortoises are still around. They stand on each others backs and the world balances on top of them.
@Antechynus Рік тому
Being slow moving and delicious was not a good evolutionary trait.
@AmstradExin Рік тому
It's Tortoises all the way down
@isaacsutton1162 Рік тому
PLEASE GOD ALL I WANT IS THIS PINK TORT PIN PLEASE
@KhalidKhan-zp5rj Рік тому
Send with in two days thankyou
@johneckerd1750 Рік тому
They make an nice soup
@maya-gur695 Рік тому
Turtle and tortoises are some of my favorite animals!
@WAMTAT Рік тому
Like regular tortoises but bigger.
@marill1616 Рік тому
Im really disappointed that i cant eat galapagos turtle