Brumation of Box Turtles

Brumation is a bit like hibernation, but warm-blooded animals hibernate while reptiles and amphibians brumate. Somewhat different. Our box turtles that we’re so familiar with dig burrows in soft soil in late autumn as the weather cools.

They often return to the same location year after year, often to a site that is covered with leaf litter. Good for holding moisture in the soil, preventing the turtle from dehydrating. The covering of leaf litter also helps prevent the soil from freezing. BUT if the turtle does freeze it can survive for a just couple days. I hope there’s a thick layer of leaf litter.

Unlike an animal that hibernates, a box turtle doesn’t sleep but is instead in a state of dormancy during its brumation. Some of its bodily functions shut down until spring as the soil surrounding it finally warms. Right now with snow still on the ground, I think it’ll still be a while till we see the box turtles again.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

7 thoughts on “Brumation of Box Turtles”

  2. Wonderful captures of the box turtle! Sad to say but I saw one yesterday on one of our streets … flattened by a car. It’s not the first time. I’d like to think the drivers just don’t see them. They are in my new garden here in Florida! They love overripe bananas. I read that they tend to become more vegetarian as they age. I couldn’t find what type of vegetation they like to eat – I would plant some!

    1. Hi Kathy! How very wonderful that you have turtles in your garden. That sounds like perfection to me! The turtles here wander here and there during the summer, but I don’t see them often enough to know where they might live. My father-in-law, ages ago, had a turtle that lived in his backyard, in New Mexico. The backyard was “fenced in” with a cinder block wall, so the turtle definitely lived there. It amazes me, how long box turtles, and other turtles live!

      Thanks bunches for reading my posts.
      Bren

  3. Brumation= name of beer lovers convention?

    Interesting info. Always learn something new from your posts!
    Gary

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