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For this reason, during the winter months (and the late fall and early spring) it is considered an aquatic turtle. [4] November through February or March is spent in hibernation at the bottom of a small, flowing river. The wood turtle may hibernate alone or in large groups.
Many turtles hibernate from March to November, entering a period of dormancy called brumation. Less daylight hours and colder nighttime temperatures trigger this cycle, but it is a little more ...
In fall, the turtle stops foraging when temperatures drop below the spring set-point. [119] During the winter, the turtle hibernates. In the north, the inactive season may be as long as from October to March, while the southernmost populations may not hibernate at all. [100]
Hibernation is a mechanism used by many mammals to reduce energy expenditure and survive food shortages over the winter. Hibernation may be predictive or consequential. An animal prepares for hibernation by building up a thick layer of body fat during late summer and autumn that will provide it with energy during the dormant period.
Northern map turtles spend the winter under water and do not surface to breathe, especially when ice cover makes this impossible. Adults rest on the bottom or wedged underneath rocks or logs and often hibernate communally with other northern map turtles where they may remain somewhat active throughout the entirety of the winter. [9]
The survival of amphibians and reptiles during winter is just as fascinating as the long migration of birds or the winter snooze of woodchucks and chipmunks.
A hibernaculum (plural form: hibernacula) (Latin, "tent for winter quarters") is a place in which an animal seeks refuge, such as a bear using a cave to overwinter.The word can be used to describe a variety of shelters used by many kinds of animals, including insects, toads, lizards, snakes, bats, rodents, and primates of various species.
The nesting season begins May 1 and officially ends Oct. 31.