It was tortoises that were on their backs on the sailing ships. They were the galapagos tortoises, the giants of the tortoise world. Size might be part of the equation.
Sep 17, 2010
hmmmm by: Anonymous
no, in the past turtles wer left on thier backs they can survive longer in this position than tortoises.
Sep 16, 2010
flipping tortoise by: Anonymous
In the past, tortoises were kept on their backs for weeks and then killed for fresh meat on sailing ships. I'm not sure about the four hour idea. I'd like to see the references for that claim.
Sep 05, 2010
Tortoise anser to a nightmare by: jasper smith
if a tortoise flips over on its back and nowone is there,the tortoise will usually die if it stays on its back for over 4 hours, however some tortoises can flip themselves back over if there hind legs reach the ground, but i woudn't count on it, best be one the lookout every 2hrs or so. Hope this helps, and becareful with you tortoise!