Turtles do have ears, however unlike most other animals they do not have “outer ears” that stick out of the side of their heads. This is probably why many believe that turtles do not have ears since they are not easily visible.

Turtles have “inner ear” mechanisms that other animals have. They also have the auditory nerve and brain center that is required to hear. The outer ear gathers sound vibrations which makes them louder. What this means is that turtles do not hear airborne sounds, however they do sense and interpret vibrations within their environments. Hearing isn’t as important to turtles as they have very keen sense of vision and smell. The brain center for hearing in a turtle is quite small in comparison.

A turtle has 3 ears. Two which are internal located on the sides of their head (small holes) and one on their nose.