A family in Brazil unexpectedly discovered a live tortoise while renovating their home’s floor, digging the animal out from beneath a sealed section of flooring. The family suspects that the tortoise may have been trapped underground for as long as ten years. Despite having spent a prolonged period in complete darkness and without water, the tortoise was still alive when rescued, astonishing many with its remarkable resilience.
According to a CNN Brasil report, the incident took place in Itacaré, Brazil. The homeowner’s granddaughter, Regina, said they had hired workers to fix a leak and, while breaking up the floor tiles, were stunned to find the tortoise beneath. Regina revealed that the floor had been sealed up for 13 years, and speculated that the tortoise might have accidentally fallen into the foundation during renovations 10 years earlier and became trapped.
Due to its long confinement in a cramped space, the tortoise’s shell was visibly deformed when it was rescued, and it was extremely sensitive to light after so many years without exposure to sunlight. Environmental education experts explained that the tortoise’s ability to survive for years without food hinges on its incredibly slow metabolism, as well as its capacity to enter a hibernation-like state known as “aestivation.” In this mode, tortoises can maintain basic life functions even without eating or drinking.
The tortoise has since been dubbed “the survivor.” The first thing it did upon returning to the surface was gorge on food, demonstrating an incredible will to live. Local environmental authorities have stepped in and sent the tortoise to a wildlife center, where it will undergo gradual sunlight exposure and nutritional rehabilitation to restore its health. This story of surviving “10 years imprisoned underground” has gone viral online, impressing many netizens with the tortoise’s extraordinary tenacity.