Watch a Tortoise Rescue Another in Distress—Was It Trying to Help?
A YouTube video showing a tortoise helping another to its feet may be a case of aggressive courtship.
A YouTube video of a tortoise helping another get back on its feet has warmed the hearts of the Internet, garnering nearly two million views.
"We were all very lucky to see such kind of scene—one tortoise saves the other one's life!" wrote AuDi Yu, who uploaded the video in late November.
"Also, it's a great opportunity to give my daughter a lesson—helping others is the origin of happiness." (Also see "'Darwin' Tortoises 'Make' Video.")
But does the clip, shot at Taiwan's Taipei Zoo, really show an altruistic reptile coming to the aid of another in distress?
National Geographic asked David Steen, a turtle and reptile expert at Auburn University in Alabama, to weigh in on what's going on
