You’re sitting by a pond or staring at your pet’s glass tank, and it’s quiet. Dead quiet. You’ve probably heard a dog bark, a cat meow, or even a hamster squeak, but the idea of a vocal reptile feels... off. For a long time, even the scientific community mostly agreed that these shelled creatures were the mutes of the animal kingdom. But do turtles make noise in reality?
Yes. They absolutely do.
It’s just that humans were mostly too deaf—or too impatient—to notice. It wasn't until fairly recently that researchers like Camila Ferrara started sticking underwater microphones into the Amazon River to listen to Giant South American river turtles. What they found changed the way we look at turtle biology. They aren't just making random grunts; they are talking. They’re coordinating. They are communicating in a frequency that bypasses the casual observer entirely.
Why We Used to Think They Were Silent
It makes sense why we missed it. Turtles don't have vocal cords like you or me. They don't have a larynx that vibrates to produce a melody. Instead, they use their lungs and the muscles in their throat to push air out in a way that creates sound. Most of these sounds are low-frequency.
Think of it like a subwoofer in a car two blocks away. You feel the vibration more than you hear a "song."
Because they spend so much time in the water, their "speech" is designed for an aquatic environment where sound travels four times faster than it does in the air. If you're just watching your Red-eared Slider from across the living room, you’re missing the party. Honestly, you'd need a hydrophone to hear the complex clicks and whistles they exchange when they think nobody is listening.
The Hiss: The Sound You’ve Probably Actually Heard
If you’ve ever startled a wild box turtle or a snapping turtle, you’ve heard the hiss.
Is it a vocalization? Technically, no.
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It’s a byproduct of physics. When a turtle gets scared, it pulls its head and limbs into its shell at lightning speed. To make room for all that meat and bone inside a rigid box, they have to exhale all the air in their lungs instantly. The "hiss" is just the sound of air rushing out of their tiny lungs under pressure. It’s effective, though. It sounds like a snake, and in the wild, sounding like a snake is a pretty good way to not get eaten by a raccoon.
Do Turtles Make Noise Underwater?
This is where it gets weird. And cool.
In a groundbreaking 2014 study published in Herpetologica, researchers documented over 250 individual sounds from Giant South American river turtles. They didn't just find noise; they found categories.
- The Migration Call: Low-frequency sounds used to keep the group together while moving through murky river water.
- The Nesting Signal: Turtles actually talk to each other while waiting for the right moment to crawl onto the beach to lay eggs.
- The Hatchling "Hello": This is the most mind-blowing part. Even before they hatch, baby turtles make sounds inside the egg.
Why? Because if you’re a tiny turtle, your best chance of survival is hitting the water at the same time as all your siblings. It’s called "swamping" the predators. If 500 babies run at once, the birds can’t get them all. If they go one by one, they’re snacks. So, they "talk" through the shells to sync up their emergence.
The Vocal Range of Different Species
Not all turtles are equally talkative. It's kinda like dogs—some breeds never shut up, and others are stoic.
Leatherback sea turtles, the giants of the ocean, have been recorded making sounds that resemble belches or chirps when they are nesting on land. It sounds heavy and labored. On the other hand, Musk turtles—often called "stinkpots"—are generally much quieter, relying more on their scent glands to communicate "stay away" than their voices.
If you have a pet Tortoise, like a Sulcata or a Russian Tortoise, you might hear a different set of noises entirely. These land-dwellers are known for squeaks, grunts, and even a sort of "clucking" sound.
The Mating Ritual: When Things Get Loud
If there is one time when a turtle is guaranteed to be noisy, it’s during the mating season.
Male tortoises, in particular, are famous for being... expressive. If you’ve ever seen a viral video of a tortoise making a high-pitched "ehh! ehh!" sound, that’s a male during the mating process. It’s one of the few times they use their breath specifically to create a vocal signal that can be heard from a distance.
It’s not exactly romantic. It sounds more like a wet sneaker on a gymnasium floor.
But it serves a purpose. It signals dominance and physical fitness to the female. In the world of slow-moving reptiles, being loud is a sign of high energy.
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What Your Pet Turtle is Trying to Tell You
If you're a pet owner and your turtle is making noise, you need to pay attention. Since they don't have "social" conversations with humans, a sound is usually a sign of a physical state.
1. The "Whistle" or "Wheeze"
If your turtle sounds like a tea kettle or a tiny accordion, this is a red flag. Turtles are extremely prone to Respiratory Infections (RIs). Because they don't have a diaphragm, they can't cough. If their lungs get congested with fluid or mucus, every breath becomes a struggle, resulting in a whistling or clicking sound.
2. The "Click"
A repetitive clicking sound while the turtle is out of the water could be a sign of a beak issue. Sometimes their beaks overgrow and they "click" them back into place, or it could be the start of a respiratory issue.
3. The "Chirp"
Some owners swear their turtles chirp when they see the food container. While not scientifically "proven" as a beggar's call, many keepers observe this "anticipatory noise." It’s basically the turtle version of a dog wagging its tail.
Common Misconceptions About Turtle Silence
A lot of people think turtles are "primitive" and therefore don't need to talk. That's a huge misunderstanding of evolution. Turtles have been around for over 200 million years. You don't survive that long by being "simple."
Communication is a survival strategy.
Whether it's the Pig-nosed turtle using soft clicks to find mates in the silt of Northern Australia or a Wood turtle stomping the ground to mimic rain (which brings worms to the surface), they are constantly interacting with their environment. Sound is just one tool in a very old toolbox.
How to Listen to Your Turtle
If you want to hear your turtle, you have to be still.
They are incredibly sensitive to vibrations. If you’re stomping around the room, they’ll stay shut. Sit quietly near their enclosure at night. That’s when the "social" noises usually happen. If you have an aquatic turtle, you can actually buy relatively cheap contact microphones or hydrophones online. Drop one in (carefully) and you might hear a world of clicks and low hums that you never knew existed.
It's honestly a bit humbling. We share our homes with these animals and assume they're just living ornaments.
They aren't. They’re listening to us, and they’re talking to each other.
Practical Steps for Turtle Owners
- Check for "Wet" Breaths: If your turtle makes a sound every time it breathes, check its eyes for puffiness and its nose for bubbles. This is a sign of a respiratory infection and requires a vet immediately.
- Listen for "Beak Grinding": If you hear a dry, bone-on-bone clicking, provide a cuttlebone. They might be trying to trim their own beak.
- Record the Sounds: If you hear something weird, record it on your phone. It's the best way to show a vet exactly what's happening, as turtles often go silent the moment they get to the clinic.
- Observe Social Interactions: If you have more than one turtle (which usually isn't recommended for most species due to territoriality), watch for head bobbing paired with soft huffs. This is a complex "keep away" or "let's be friends" signal.
- Maintain Humidity: Many "noises" are actually caused by dry air irritating the turtle's airway. Ensure your enclosure's humidity matches their natural habitat to keep their breathing silent and healthy.