This topic is not to debate the ethics surrounding the subject of wild caught and captive bred turtles, it is simply a survey of behaviors observed in our turtles.
Being a biology and geology major in college, my turtles are not simply "pets". My main goal is to research as many different species as I have room and time to take care of properly. To achieve some of my goals, I have adults, hatchlings, captive bred and wild-caught turtles from as as many continents/areas/niches that can be obtained affordably. My research includes normal behaviors asscoiated with normal activities such as eating, basking, swimming, etc, but also species specific behaviors. To do this, I need to decide whether or not it is a learned behavior or a part or their natural tendencies found within the species. (nature vs. nurture)
While this my own project that I plan to have the rest of my life, I would like some input from the rest of the members of the forum. To do this, simply type an interesting behavior your turtle(s) are doing. Then, decide if it's a learned behavior (such as chasing a laser beam through a tank), or fluttering at their reflection as part of mating/dominance (instinctual/natural).
Any "learned" behaviors or natural instincts can be thought of as a type of intelligence for my study as of right now. Are captive born turtles more intelligent than wild-caught because of human intervention (i.e modern, clean, safe equipment), or are wild caught turtles with more natural intincts?
