The article by Douglas Quenqua examines the recent study made by Dr. Ylenia Chiari surrounding the shell composition of saddleback tortoises in Galapagos Islands and its role in reducing the hazard of flipping over. Quenqua talks about the inability of the scientific study to prove that the development of saddlebacks shell anatomy is due to address self-righting. The outcome of the results found it inconclusive to connect that the changes among saddlebacks to reduce risks of falling on its back (Quenqua, 2017).
After analyzing the original study, the claims in the article’s headline and main text provide adequate reference to scientific evidence. It is also essential to point out that Quenqua identifies the methodology used to analyze shell composition. He also identifies the inability of Dr. Chiari to prove the study’s hypothesis conclusively. Hence, the causal claims made by the author indicate the use of correlational data. Specifically, it comes from the idea that the composition of a saddleback turtle’s shell is essential to achieve self-righting.
As far as third variable at play, Quenqua could also expound on Dr. Chiari’s analysis comes from the evidence of larger neck opening among saddleback shell. The design provides clues on how saddleback tortoises use the opening to support sustenance needs. It can also serve as essential evolutionary trait to adjust to the turtle’s elongated neck. One way to analyze its purpose is to conduct another field experiment which focuses setting up a study in the real world (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, and Nisbett, 2015). The objective of the approach is to pattern tortoise behavior and analyze its usage in the wild.
Put together, Quenqua makes an effective attempt to summarize and outline the work of Dr. Chiari. He is quick to identify the limitations of the study’s hypothesis in explaining the connection of shell composition of saddleback tortoises to self-righting. Despite these limitations, there are also opportunities to explore other variables that influence the behavior of saddleback tortoises in the wild.
References
Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., and Nisbett, R.E. (2015). Social Psychology (4th Ed.). Canada: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Quenqua, D. (2017). How a Giant Tortoise Gets Off Its Back. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/science/galapagos-tortoises-shells.html
