Response of hatchling and yearling turtles to thermal gradients: Comparison of Chelydra serpentina and Trachemys scripta

R. Bruce Bury; A.B. Nebeker; M. J. Adams

doi:10.1016/s0306-4565(99)00027-3

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Response of hatchling and yearling turtles to thermal gradients: Comparison of Chelydra serpentina and Trachemys scripta

R. Bruce Bury·A.B. Nebeker·M. J. Adams

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Abstract

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.

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Journal of Thermal Biology Article

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R. Bruce Bury, A.B. Nebeker, M. J. Adams. 2000. Response of hatchling and yearling turtles to thermal gradients: Comparison of Chelydra serpentina and Trachemys scripta. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4565(99)00027-3

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