Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is probably a stupid question but do sulcatas have ears? Can they heat? If so do they know their names?

Found this: Hope it helps, They "hear" more through the ground vibrations and they have a great sense of smell.

Turtle sense

Turtles and tortoises do not have ears like ours, but they can feel vibrations and changes in water pressure that tell them where food, or a predator, might be. They do have a good sense of smell, which helps them find food. The skin of a turtle or tortoise, especially the land tortoises, may look leathery and tough but it is actually very sensitive. In fact, keepers at the San Diego Zoo have found that the Galápagos tortoises Geochelone nigra really enjoy having their necks rubbed. They close their eyes in contentment, and will follow the keepers around wanting more!

Some turtles seem to have senses or instincts that we do not fully understand. Tracking equipment shows that some sea turtles migrate thousands of miles (kilometers) through the sea on regular routes, returning every two or three years to the same beaches to lay their eggs. No one knows how sea turtles find their way over that great distance, year after year, to the same beaches.

AND THIS:

Tortoises don't have ears, so they do not "hear" as we humans think of it. However, they are very tuned into vibrations. Imagine what it would be like to have so much of your body being hard and flat on the ground. You would pick up much more of what was going on around you through the vibrations.

yes tortoises have "ears" you can see them near the rear of their head almost even with the jaw line, it looks like a big round scale (bigger than their eyes) altho my 3 torts dont know there names yet they will come when i make a clicking sound. they are only 1 yr old right now and im hoping they will be able to distinguish there names as they get older.

They can hear for sure, or at least the one I have can. Kobae is six and lives out at an adventure lodge with me most of the year. Every morning he leaves his pen and heads down the trail for his walk. Some mornings he doesn't see food I've left for him as he can hardly wait to go hiking. I'll say "Hey, hey." He'll stop, then look over towards me. He may or may not come get food, but he hears.

Not that a sulcata hearing will ever do you any good. It's not like they do what you tell them or go where you want them to go.