Where Do Turtles Go in the Winter?

Finally, the temperatures are rising and winter is coming to an end. Flowers are blooming, leaves are sprouting, and animals are coming out of hibernation. Most people are familiar with how animals like birds and squirrels survive the winter, but not many know what turtles do to survive during cold weather. As you probably know, turtles are cold-blooded, so their body temperature is dependent on the temperature of their environment. This poses a problem when winter comes because if their bodies freeze, turtles won’t survive.

When winter arrives, freshwater turtles dive down to the muddy bottom of ponds where the temperature never gets below 1°C.  Nestled in the mud, their metabolism slows down. This allows them to survive for months without food and with very little oxygen. Unlike other cold-blooded animals, turtles don’t hibernate. Instead of sleeping, they remain conscious while their body processes slow down.

Turtles can’t breathe underwater, but in this state they don’t need to. They can do some respiration (gas exchange, not breathing) near their throat and tail, but otherwise they can survive in this condition for months. When the water’s temperature rises, the turtle’s body temperature and metabolism rise with it. Once they can begin moving again, they’ll bask in the sunlight to raise their body temperature even higher.

This method of winter survival works well for turtles, but becomes dangerous if the pond ice remains frozen for too long. The turtles can’t break the frozen surface to breathe, and the oxygen dissolved in the water below has largely been depleted. For some turtles, this can spell trouble. Others, like snapping turtles and painted turtles, can shift their metabolism so it doesn’t require oxygen. This process creates acidic toxins in their body, but they can neutralize these by dissolving the calcium in their shells like a built-in antacid. 

We have painted turtles here at Sunset Hill Farm. Earlier this week, two of our biologists saw about 30 painted turtles sunning themselves near our No-Can-Do Pond. If you stop by Sunset Hill park this spring, you might see one too!