Desert tortoise's final rest exposes the silent struggle against dehydration
- 18 days ago
During a hike in Joshua Tree National Park, he stumbled upon the shell of a desert tortoise.
To his surprise, the bottom part of the shell, known as the plastron, was still attached, and inside there was a puzzle-like object that appeared to be a tumor.
Later, it was revealed that it was actually a bladder stone.
This stone forms when a tortoise becomes dehydrated.
Normally, a well-hydrated tortoise secretes urine during urination.
However, in a dehydrated tortoise that's conserving water by recycling its urine, these urates can accumulate over time and slowly form into a bladder stone.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, United States
WooGlobe Ref : WGA025379
For licensing and to use this video, please email licensing@wooglobe.com
To his surprise, the bottom part of the shell, known as the plastron, was still attached, and inside there was a puzzle-like object that appeared to be a tumor.
Later, it was revealed that it was actually a bladder stone.
This stone forms when a tortoise becomes dehydrated.
Normally, a well-hydrated tortoise secretes urine during urination.
However, in a dehydrated tortoise that's conserving water by recycling its urine, these urates can accumulate over time and slowly form into a bladder stone.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, United States
WooGlobe Ref : WGA025379
For licensing and to use this video, please email licensing@wooglobe.com