• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Turtle Guardians

Kids & Communities Helping Ontario's Turtles

Header Right

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • tiktok
  • Shop
  • Events Calendar

Mobile Menu

  • About
    • Why Save Turtles?
    • Who are Turtle Guardians?
    • What do Turtle Guardians Do?
      • Level 1 – Turtle ID & Turtle Camp
      • Level 2- Wetland Monitoring and Turtle Nest Protection
      • Level 3 – Road Research, Turtle Tunnels & Conservation
      • Level 4 & 5- Science permits
      • Become a guardian
    • Partners & supporters
    • Turtle Guardian Program Evaluation
    • The Land Between – Ontario’s Turtle Country
    • Contact
  • Learning Resources
    • Turtle Facts
    • Turtle identification
      • Parts of a turtle
      • Blanding’s Turtle
      • Map turtle
      • Painted turtle
      • Snapping turtle
      • Spiny softshell turtle
      • Spotted turtle
      • Stinkpot turtle/Musk turtle
      • Wood turtle
    • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Habitats
      • Lakes and Rivers
      • Ponds and Marshes
      • Swamps and Carrs
      • Bogs and Fens
    • School Curriculums
      • Turtle Guardians Curricula Videos
      • Intermediate (Grades 7-8)
      • Junior (Grades 4-6)
      • Primary (K-3) Grades
      • The Turtle Stories Platform
    • Research Reports
      • Habitat Requirements and Biology
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • The Land Between. Ontario’s Turtle Country
  • Turtle Conservation
    • Why Turtles Matter
    • When and Where to Watch For Turtles
    • So you found a turtle…
    • 10 Ways to Help Turtles
    • Deliberate Harm to Turtles and Habitats
    • Helping a turtle across the road
    • Turtle Nesting
    • Snapping turtles & your lake
    • Helping Turtles Around Your Property
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • Turtle Recovery Campaign
      • T5 Campaign
  • Volunteering
    • Become a Turtle Guardian
      • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Crossing Guards
    • Road Researchers
    • Nest Sitters
    • Wetland Watchers
    • Turtle Tunnel Assessors
    • Turtle Walk 2022
  • Report Sightings
    • Volunteer reporting forms
    • Public Sighting Report Form
    • Record of Elders
  • 2022 Turtle Camps
    • Turtle Camp 2022
    • Level 2 Turtle Camp Days
    • Tott’s Turtle Time
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Friends of Turtle Guardians
    • T5 Campaign
    • Champion a Turtle
  • Member login
  • Shop
  •  
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • Shop
  • Events Calendar
  • About
    • Why Save Turtles?
    • Who are Turtle Guardians?
    • What do Turtle Guardians Do?
      • Level 1 – Turtle ID & Turtle Camp
      • Level 2- Wetland Monitoring and Turtle Nest Protection
      • Level 3 – Road Research, Turtle Tunnels & Conservation
      • Level 4 & 5- Science permits
      • Become a guardian
    • Partners & supporters
    • Turtle Guardian Program Evaluation
    • The Land Between – Ontario’s Turtle Country
    • Contact
  • Learning Resources
    • Turtle Facts
    • Turtle identification
      • Parts of a turtle
      • Blanding’s Turtle
      • Map turtle
      • Painted turtle
      • Snapping turtle
      • Spiny softshell turtle
      • Spotted turtle
      • Stinkpot turtle/Musk turtle
      • Wood turtle
    • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Habitats
      • Lakes and Rivers
      • Ponds and Marshes
      • Swamps and Carrs
      • Bogs and Fens
    • School Curriculums
      • Turtle Guardians Curricula Videos
      • Intermediate (Grades 7-8)
      • Junior (Grades 4-6)
      • Primary (K-3) Grades
      • The Turtle Stories Platform
    • Research Reports
      • Habitat Requirements and Biology
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • The Land Between. Ontario’s Turtle Country
  • Turtle Conservation
    • Why Turtles Matter
    • When and Where to Watch For Turtles
    • So you found a turtle…
    • 10 Ways to Help Turtles
    • Deliberate Harm to Turtles and Habitats
    • Helping a turtle across the road
    • Turtle Nesting
    • Snapping turtles & your lake
    • Helping Turtles Around Your Property
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • Turtle Recovery Campaign
      • T5 Campaign
  • Volunteering
    • Become a Turtle Guardian
      • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Crossing Guards
    • Road Researchers
    • Nest Sitters
    • Wetland Watchers
    • Turtle Tunnel Assessors
    • Turtle Walk 2022
  • Report Sightings
    • Volunteer reporting forms
    • Public Sighting Report Form
    • Record of Elders
  • 2022 Turtle Camps
    • Turtle Camp 2022
    • Level 2 Turtle Camp Days
    • Tott’s Turtle Time
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Friends of Turtle Guardians
    • T5 Campaign
    • Champion a Turtle
  • Member login
  • Shop
  •  

Heading for Hibernation- How Turtles Survive

November 16, 2021 Leave a Comment

This is a vulnerable time for turtles, not only because they are using less oxygen, but because their immune systems are also "on low" , and because, while they may need less oxygen, they still need consistent and reliable supplies of oxygen to stay alive through the winter. For these reasons, turtles often choose smaller wetlands or lakes where the water is filtered by lots of vegetation and where water levels are stable. These sites can be the most unremarkable areas and areas we least expect turtles to have chosen, but yet each site is extremely important to the survival of turtles- Also because turtles are loyal to their winter sites and return to within 1 metre of where they did the year before. Therefore, turtles cannot be "relocated" to new sites easily or at all, because adult turtles cannot readily make new memories of routes and places. If they are moved or if their chosen-wetland sites are lost, turtles are unlikely to survive away from their natural-given areas and territories.
 
The entire process, rhythm and cycle of how turtles navigate and survive, is a testament to the many miracles that happen in a turtle's life. Read more about the amazing processes that happen in winter, by reading our article 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « The Turtle Guardians Calendar 2022 Is Here!
Next Post: Do freshwater turtles gather together for the winter in Ontario? And the role of wetlands in stabilizing populations. »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

[instagram-feed]

Follow Us on Twitter

My Tweets

Search

Site Navigation

  • Home – OLD
  • About
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • How to Help Turtles
  • Learning Resources
  • Contact

Our Partners

Join Us at Turtle Stories

Download the Turtle Guardians App for your mobile device!

 

 

Contact Turtle Guardians by calling 705-457-1222 or texting 705-854-2888

Copyright © 2022 Turtle Guardians · Email Us · Privacy Policy

Site Development by TechnicalitiesPlus Inc.

 

Loading Comments...