Painted Turtle: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Wild Mix · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Painted turtles love to sunbathe: more than 50 have been spotted crowded onto one log. Some have even basked on top of loons sitting on their eggs.
2. When ponds freeze over, painted turtles stay locked under the ice all winter and basically hold their breath until the spring thaw.
3. The western subspecies can survive 170 days with no oxygen at all. Eastern painted turtles manage about 125 days.
4. Its secret is the shell. It holds more carbonate than any animal's ever measured, and this neutralises the acid that builds up without oxygen.
5. Warmth decides if a baby is a boy or a girl. Eggs kept at 23 to 27 °C mid-incubation hatch as males; warmer or cooler eggs give females.

The quiz

1. What unusual spot have painted turtles been seen basking on?

• A floating crocodile
• A loon sitting on its eggs (correct)
• A moving canoe paddle
• A sleeping beaver

They have been seen basking on top of loons covering their eggs.

2. How do painted turtles spend the winter in frozen ponds?

• They fly south with birds
• They climb into hollow trees
• They stay under the ice, holding their breath (correct)
• They swim to the surface every hour

Ice-locked turtles hold their breath until the ice melts in spring.

3. How long can a western painted turtle survive without oxygen?

• 170 days (correct)
• 2 hours
• 3 days
• 2 weeks

The western subspecies can survive 170 days of no oxygen.

4. What helps the turtle cope with acid building up while it cannot breathe?

• Air bubbles stored in its tail
• Thick fat under its skin
• Algae growing on its back
• Carbonate stored in its shell (correct)

Its shell is rich in carbonate, which buffers the acid.

5. What decides whether a painted turtle egg hatches as a male or a female?

• The size of the mother
• The temperature of the egg (correct)
• The time of day it hatches
• The colour of the sand

Middle temperatures make males; warmer or cooler eggs make females.

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