bajalera
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Turtle Question
A Jesuit account written in the 1700s says that when swimming Indians captured turtles, they placed them on their backs to keep them from taking off,
then gathered them up later.
But it doesn't say whether the upending took place in the water or on shore. I've seen upside-down turtles on land, and they don't appear to be able
to turn over.
But does anyone know whether a turtle that's turned upside down and placed afloat in the sea is also unable to right itself, or can it swim away?
[Edited on 8-11-2010 by bajalera]
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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Skipjack Joe
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I think they meant in the water.
Many fish will go into a trance like state when held upside down. For example, the best way to release a bonefish is to turn him over and take the
hook out. There may be a short struggle in the beginning but they soon become imobile. This is also true of trout in freshwater. There's a program on
Shark Week' where 'scientists' are shown doing the same thing with large sharks, referring to a state as 'tonic imobility'.
So it stands to reason that this same state could be reached with sea turtles. A state of disorientation that increases the imobility the longer it's
kept.
Perhaps Ken Bondy would like to interject his opinion on this. It's likely he's come across it during his many dives.
P.S. on the other hand it may be like water boarding to them. Who knows? They have no way of telling us how it feels.
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BajaDanD
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My chickens do the same thing put them on their back and they stop struggling.
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Donjulio
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaDanD
My chickens do the same thing put them on their back and they stop struggling. |
Wish I could get my girlfriend to do that when I put her on her back.
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Pompano
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Pretty much the same thing, but different. 
A Cree guide named Kitchener Byrd taught me this when I was about 10. Placing a walleye belly-down on the flat of your hand/s will immobilize it for
a photo before releasing. It takes a little practice, but you soon get the hang of letting the fish's weight do the work of pressing down on the
stomach.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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ELINVESTIG8R
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I know!
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I know that to store turtles for later pickup...poachers flip them on their backs on the shore...I'd be surprised if a turtle can right itself on
land...people have found caches of turtles like this hiding in bushes near the beach in the gulf.
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bajalera
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This board never fails to provide information--thanks, everyone.
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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Ken Bondy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Perhaps Ken Bondy would like to interject his opinion on this. It's likely he's come across it during his many dives.
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Igor I have seen it with sharks but not with other marine animals. Many years ago on my first caged blue shark trip off of San Diego, along with the
big ones, there were a lot of sharks that were small enough to fit between the bars of the cage, and we constantly had little blue sharks swimming
around with us in the cage. At one point, one of our guides grabbed one of the little blues inside the cage, and turned him over. The shark was
immediately immobilized and would rest lightly, upside down, on the diver's gloved hand. It was quite a demonstration. I have seen a lot of turtles
underwater and I've got some doubts that simply turning them upside down would have the same effect. I think they would just thrash until they
righted themselves and swam off. But you never know.
carpe diem!
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Cypress
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Sturgeon will relax when placed on their back.
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