Response of hatchling and yearling turtles to thermal gradients: Comparison of Chelydra serpentina and Trachemys scripta
In laboratory tests, young Chelydra serpentina and Trachemys scripta altered their distribution in the presence of a temperature gradient. Selection of temperatures in the gradient for hatchlings and yearlings showed that body temperatures ( T b s) of C. serpentina were lower than T. scripta , but the difference was insignificant. Relatively low T b s could allow greater activity range and reduced metabolic maintenance cost for C. serpentina , which seldom leaves water.
Journal of Thermal Biology↗