“On the Second day of Christmas my true love sent to me Two Turtle Doves”, which might be a little hard since turtle doves aren’t native to North America and even two turtles would be hard to find since they are hibernating on a wintry day.
Two Turtle Loves
On a warm, sunny afternoon, one might spot turtles basking on logs, stumps or on the backs of other turtles. The painted turtle has existed for 15 million years and can even survive the cold, harsh Wisconsin winters by hibernating in the muddy bottoms of waterways.
Basking helps regulate the body temperature of this cold-blooded reptile which needs an internal body temperature between 63 and 73°F to be active. The turtle starts its day at sunrise, emerging from the water to bask for several hours which helps rid them of parasitic leeches and warm the body temperature. Once warmed for activity, the turtle returns to the water to forage. Then the day is spent both basking and foraging. At night, the turtle drops to the bottom of its water body or perches on an underwater object and sleeps.
Painted Turtles
A group of turtles is called a ‘bale of turtles’. And I rather a bale of painted turtles than a bale of snapping turtles. This Western Painted Turtle spend most of its time in shallow streams, lakes and rivers. They can also be found in prairie sloughs, cattle tanks, and farm ponds. Water that is slow-moving with a soft, muddy bottom with vegetation and submerged logs is ideal habitat for painted turtles. Painted turtles are mainly carnivorous, but as they mature they eat more vegetation. They forage for insects, crayfish, small mollusks, worms, minnows, and aquatic plants.
They are called painted turtles because their lower shell is brightly colored in red with yellow and olive designs. Turtles shed their shell as they’re growing; this skin resembles a burnt leaf. Painted turtles are basking turtles, which means they spend as much time as they can in the sun to warm themselves after a long swim or a chilly night.They bask on a log or rock with their necks and legs stretched out and their toes spread wide apart to catch as much of the sun’s warmth as possible. Basking also allows their body to produce vitamins and helps to kill fungi. The sex of the painted turtle is determined by the temperature during development.
Western Painted Turtle
