Reptiles are said to be cold-blooded, but in reality some are very sociable. If we speak in its scientific sense, reptiles are cold-blooded, but they do not maintain a constant body temperature. They get their heat from the outside environment, so their body temperature fluctuates, based on the outside temperature.
In fact, when we say that they are not cold-blooded, we are referring to the Mexican phrase “you are cold-blooded,” which refers to “cold blood,” to act impassively, without feelings or passion, in comparison to their need for heat, reptiles have shown have feelings
Paddling a canoe down a murky river in Belize at dawn, Jaren and Serano heard the sound of the Central American river turtle, known locally as hicatee, and when they focused a little closer they discovered that they were swimming together through the river.
Reptiles can socialize
A hydrophone placed in the water detected the movements of the reptiles, which had sonic transmitters attached to their shells. The results surprised them: the turtles They swam together through the river and, in some cases, they did not separate themselves even a meter from their peers.
These social turtles could dramatically change how we think of supposedly solitary animals, the researchers said.
In fact, it was previously thought that turtles gathered together when they were looking for the same resource, such as a sunny rock, but in general they did not interact with each other, now with this, it is said that reptiles like turtles seemed to seek company.
McKnight and Serano were conducting other research on hicates in the spring of 2020 when they discovered that the animals move in unison.
“It’s one of those random, silly ways that sometimes happens in science,” McKnight says.
To find out if the turtles were actually socializing, the team found a section of the river that did not have any of the known variables that could attract turtles, such as logs, rocks or vegetation. By placing sonic transmitters on the shells of 19 juveniles of both sexes, the team was also able to rule out mating behavior.
After months, they managed to discover that the turtles were not moving randomly, but rather were grouped together on purpose, in groups of different sizes. Although, the reason for this behavior is not yet clear.
According to researchers, the most logical reason is to avoid predators, although research continues.