I live in Vermont where we have a large population of turtles. During the winter, the lake freezes and seeing that turtles can’t move quickily, I was wondering what happens to them during the winter. Do they hibernate? How do they not freeze to death?
In northern areas turtles generally hibernate by burrowing into the mud at the bottom of lakes and ponds. Except for the shallowest ones, these do not freeze to the bottom. The turtle’s metabolic rate is so slow it is able to absorb enough oxygen through the skin inside the mouth and throat or through the cloaca.
An exception to this in North America is the box turtle, which is terrestrial. Box turtles dig burrows, usually in forest leaf-litter, in which to hibernate. What Colibri wrote is accurate for the semi-aquatic species.
We do? Huh…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a turtle in the wild up here.
Bike up the bike path into Colchester. After crossing the bridge over the Winooski River, there is a turtle preserve.
That is an amazing web page.
At the bottom of the lake, it’s turtles all the way down.