hey ..y do turtles die in cold water?

Question

listen..in the us...say..the turtle creek...isn't the water coldthere in winter..doesn't it freeze???so how do the turtles survivie there..huh?the water ain't hot..na

Answer 1

The long answer involves a lot of factors coming together. A shorter answer would include:

- Sunlight on the water creates warmer currents, and sun on the turtle's dark shell helps warm it.
- Anti-freeze-like chemicals in the blood prevent the formation of ice crystals in the blood.
- Short exposures to cold water in the wild are a lot different than being in cold water 24/7.
- Wild turtles have much stronger immune systems and can tolerate a wider fluctuation of temps, etc. than stressed-out captives.
- Most of the heat needed is for digestion, and turtles eat very little in cold water situations

There are more factors, such as the thermodymanics of water flow in lakes and rivers (if it is moving, it is not freezing, and different layers of water are different temps in the wild), but that is a start.

When we build an aquaria habitat, we are making a very poor replica of the complex reality, and cutting out hundreds of small factors. Instead, we aim for simple things we can control.

Answer 2

They can depends on the situation!!!!! Some hibernate, some don't survive!!! Depends whether captive or wild!!

If people put the "Yellow-eared Sliders" into the pond they won't survive the winter. We highly discourage people placing animals into the pond, for several reasons.

First, animals raised in captivity might not adjust well to the environment in the pond and die.

Second, animals that are taken from other ponds could contain diseases and infect our pond critters. And, third, there is a limit as to how many fish and turtles our pond can sustain.

Answer 3

Turtles and frogs hibernate in the winter. Turtles that live in the water and frogs usually burrow into the muddy bottom of the pond to hibernate. Land turtles usually hibernate in other animal's burrows. Their shell helps to protect them from the cold. Fish sink to the bottom of frozen lakes and ponds in the winter. They are quiet but awake.

Answer 4

no, because in the wild the water gets cold, and turtles that live in cold winter conditions dig a burrow in the fall and stay there all winter

Answer 5

in the winter turtles / terrapins go into hibernation. they can do one of two things. they either go down to the deepest part of the lake where the water if still warm and stay and live down there. or they come out and they dig a hole, and they keep digging, and digging some more until they are deep enough that the temperatures wont harm them. then they sleep :D

Answer 6

I think they make burrows in the winter....