Turtles can choose the sex from within the egg

Researchers found that baby turtles know how to move in eggs to lower or raise temperature, a skill that can help them choose their own sex.

The new study is the first evidence that turtles in the fetus intentionally regulate their temperature . This ability is inherently important for adult turtles and turtles.

Because they are cold-blooded, turtles rely on external heat sources to maintain their body temperature. Tortoises often have to move from cool places to warmer places to maintain the body's thermal balance.

In 2011, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences discovered, the fetuses of Chinese soft-shell turtle, scientific name Pelodiscus sinensis, moved to the land warmed by the sun. when still residing in eggs. However, the scientific community did not know whether the turtles moved to the warmest place in the egg because they were trying to adjust their temperature or simply float passively in a dynamic form. that's the liquid inside the egg.

According to the researchers, turtles can choose their own sex as a fetus in eggs.(Artwork: Word Press)

To find out the answer, biologist Wei Guo Du of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues gave a hatch of 125 turtle eggs Chinemys reevesii in different groups with heating sources of 26-33 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, turtle fetuses are unlikely to survive.

The researchers used dazzling light to illuminate developing fetuses to measure their position inside the egg. After 10 days of development, half of the eggs injected are spoiled, but still placed next to the heat source to determine whether any movements observed are active or passive.

The measurement results showed that the live tortoise fetuses would shift toward the heat source when the eggshell was warmed to 29-30 degrees Celsius. However, when the eggshell became hot, the turtle fetuses would translate. Move away from the heat source. Meanwhile, fetal turtles die unmoving, implying that turtles while in the egg actively adjusted to balance the temperature.

The finding is extremely interesting, because according to Du's research team, the sex of each turtle Chinemys reevesii is due to the temperature of the eggs during the development period.

Previously, scientists once believed that selecting a nesting place for mother turtles was the only factor that decided the egg's growth temperature. Still, the new study shows that baby turtles are able to "select" their sex by moving to a cooler or warmer place of eggs.

Turtles are not the only example of active fetus inside eggs. The study, published in the April issue of Nature, also revealed that the dinosaurs already knew the stone and wriggled before being hatched. Another study earlier this year in the journal PLOS ONE also discovered that fetuses of brown-shanked bamboo sharks can sense their enemies' electric fields and activate the freeze inside their eggs. them.