A
turtle lying belly up on its shell is easy prey. So when these reptiles accidentally turn around they should quickly get on all fours. Aquatic species with strong and long necks have no difficulty straightening. But in tortoises, whose necks are shorter, the musculature is not enough and other strategies must be sought. A physicist and a mathematician from the University of Budapest (Hungary) have just shown that the key in these cases lies in the
geometry of the shells . Their conclusions are published in the latest issue of the
Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Researchers Gábor Domokos and Péter L. Várkonyi have developed a geometric model of the shell that shows that its dome shape is optimal for turtles to straighten up. In addition, they have come up with the formula and the exact proportions between the width and the height of its resistant cover. Nature, unsurprisingly, has not left this to chance either.
