We quantified movements, spacing, and activity of Sonoran Mud Turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in interrupted mountain streams of southern Arizona over an 18-year period using capture–recapture sampling and radiotelemetry. Movement and activity patterns of turtles depended on water availability and varied by their sex and size. Although considered almost entirely aquatic in Arizona, mud turtles...

The purpose of this study was to assess the compensatory responses to food restriction and subsequent increased food availability in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Turtles were fed an ad libitum ration for 12 weeks (AL), a restricted ration for 12 weeks (R), or a restricted ration for 5 weeks and an ad libitum ration for 7 weeks (R-AL). Analysis of covariance was used to test the rela...

Hatchlings of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) commonly hibernate in their shallow, natal nests. Survival at temperatures below the limit of freeze tolerance (approximately -4 degrees C) apparently depends on their ability to remain supercooled, and, whereas previous studies have reported that supercooling capacity improves markedly with cold acclimation, the mechanistic basis for this chan...

Observations were made on green turtles basking on the white sand beaches at French Frigate Shoals in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The highest rectal temperature recorded from the basking turtles was 31.3°C, but the surface temperature of the carapace attained values as great as 42.8°C. During basking, the turtles flipped sand onto their carapaces, but they did not appear to orientate the...

Air-breathing marine animals, including sea turtles, utilise two fundamentally different environments (i.e. sea surface and underwater) during migration. Many satellite telemetry studies have shown travel paths at relatively large spatio-temporal scales, discussing the orientation and navigation mechanisms that guide turtles. However, as travel paths obtained by satellite telemetry only reflect...

Despite substantial knowledge on thermoregulation in reptiles, the mechanisms involved in heat exchange of sea turtles have not been investigated in detail. We studied blood flow in the front flippers of two green turtles, Chelonia mydas, and four loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, using Doppler ultrasound to assess the importance of regional blood flow in temperature regulation. Mean blood f...

K ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) are an endangered sea turtle species found in waters of the southern United States and Mexico. Juveniles of this species are known to seasonally inhabit waters as far north as New England. In autumn, juvenile Kemp’s ridley turtles may become debilitated in the northwestern Atlantic ocean as water temperatures rapidly decrease and animals are forced to shor...

Many turtle species are endangered through a variety of human activities, from beach development, boating and shipping, and fishing. Awareness of the problems has mostly focused on protection of beaches used for breeding as individuals return to highly specific sites where they are particularly vulnerable. Apart from their breeding sites, much less is known about their long and complex movement...