Do Turtles Hibernate?

Turtles hibernate in different ways. There are a few things to know about turtles when considering this. The first is that temperature is very important to turtles. This is because these reptiles are ectothermic meaning that they get their body heat from their surroundings. They are able to heat up from the air, water, ground, sun, etc. They need to be warm in order to move around, eat, and stay active. If a turtle gets too cold, everything in its body will begin to slow down and it will render the turtle unable to eat and digest its food. The heart and lungs also slow down when a turtle becomes too cold.

Some turtles live where it never gets cold. They are able to stay active all winter long as the weather is always hot and comfortable for them to live in. However turtles who live in places where it gets cold or snows have a way to keep themselves alive, they can and do hibernate. Some people do not use the word hibernate when referring to this process that the turtle goes through, rather they refer to it as “brumate”. Brumating is what reptiles do. Mammals hibernate. However most people will continue to use the word hibernate anyways when referring to turtles simply because it is the word that most have become used to.

Different species of turtles “brumate” or “hibernate” in different ways. For instance, most aquatic turtles will go deep into a pond and snuggle down into some mud and leaves located at the bottom of the water. Them they allow themselves to get cold. This causes their bodies to slow down so that they do not need to eat anymore. Their hearts will slow down as well and start to beat only once every few minutes. They stop breathing through their lungs. Because their bodies are running at such a slow speed they no longer require the need for much oxygen, however they do still get some.

Turtles are able to get small amounts of oxygen during this process from the water. The water that the turtle submerges itself in sinks in through the turtle’s specialized skin cells that are located just inside the tail opening. They breathe this way, through their tails. Aquatic turtles are able to stay this way for two to three months.

Box turtles do not stay in water much and for this reason do not hibernate under water. However box turtles and other turtles that stay on land most of the time are able to hibernate. They do so by digging deep burrows into the ground. They dig as deep as they can and then hide in the burrow for protection from the cold weather.

When turtles are hibernating, they are constantly in danger. This renders them unable to run away from predators that may come along, find them and want to eat them. This is why turtles often try to seek a place that will be safe from predators such as dogs and/or raccoons.

Another potential danger to turtles during the hibernation or “brumation” process is possibly freezing to death. For aquatic turtles, if the water in the pond freezes and reaches all the way down to the bottom of the pond where the turtle is hibernating, they will freeze to death.

If the ground freezes deeply around a hibernating box turtle or other species of land turtle, they to will most likely freeze to death. However, this does not usually happen very often. If a pond is deep, only the top part usually freezes over solid and there is usually water underneath the ice. In this case the turtles will be safe. Box turtles and other land turtles are usually safe as well because the top layer of the ground often freezes however the turtles try to stay deeper down where the dirt isn’t as likely to freeze.

There are thousands of turtles that prepare for the harsh winter months by going deep into the water or digging a deep burrow. These turtles will slow down their bodies and hibernate for as long as the weather is cold. Then when spring comes, they will warm up and become active again. Usually one of the first things a turtle will do after reemerging from hibernation is find a nice warm place to bask in the sun.