A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Turtle Behavior and Natural History
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| iPhone App Electronic Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California Available Now at the iTunes App Store. |
| Basking | ||
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| This video shows a bunch of Pacific Pond Turtles competing for basking space on a pond and diving in when they thought I was a threat. | Turtles, like these Pacific Pond Turtles, spend much of their time basking in the sun. They prefer to haul out on objects, such as rocks and fallen logs, on or next to their pond, so they can easily escape into the water if necessary. | In a short video, Western Painted turtles bask on a log and retreat into the water. |
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| When basking spots are scarce, turtles often pile onto each other, like these Texas Cooters. | Sea turtles come on to the beach to breed, and sometimes to bask in the sun, like this Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. | In this video, Red-eared Sliders bask, swim, and slide back into a pond. |
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| Although this Red-eared Slider looks like it is trying to fly, it has probably pulled its arms and feet off a basking log that has become too hot in order to protect its fingers and toes, which are easily burned. | ||
| Movement | ||
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| This is a short video of an Olive Ridley swimming around in a large aquarium. | In this video, a young Desert Tortoise walks along a rocky wash in the Mohave desert. | In this short video, a Sonoran Mud Turtle slowly pokes its head out of its shell and looks around for several minutes before quickly returning back into the shell. |
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| In this short video, a bunch of Desert Box Turtles soak and drink in muddy rain puddles in the morning. |
In this short video, a Desert Box Turtle crosses a road and wanders into the brush in the afternoon. | This video shows Green Sea Turtles surfacing while feeding near the mouth of the San Gabriel River. About every 5 minutes I saw one of these turtles surface to breathe for just a few seconds, but there was no way to tell when and where one would come up, which made it difficult to photograph them. |
| Self Defense | ||
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| Turtles, like this Pacific Pond Turtle, pull their limbs and head into their shell when they feel threatened in order to protect these vulnerable parts. | A Yellow Mud Turtle retreats into its shell. | This juvenile Texas Tortoise has pulled its head and legs into its shell, covering its head with its legs. |
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| Box Turtles have a hinged shell that helps to protect them when they retreat into their shell. | ||
| Burrows | ||
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| Desert Tortoises spend much of their lives in burrows which they dig under desert shrubs, as you can see here. | ||
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| Gopher Tortoises in their Burrows | ||
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| In this video, we see a Gopher Tortoise in Florida walking into the brush and down into its burrow on the other side of the brush. Eventually it turns around and we can see it staring out of the mouth of the burrow. | In this video, an adult Desert Tortoise crawls back into its summer burrow, kicking dirt out behind it. |
Gopher Tortoise Burrow |
| Breeding | ||
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| A pair of breeding Desert Box Turtles in New Mexico. |
Pacific Pond Turtle Eggs, © Patrick Briggs |
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| Western Pond Turtle Life Cycle: Adult, Juvenile, and Egg, Butte County. © The Chico Turtle Lab |
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| Turtle Tracks and Signs | ||
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| Desert Box Turtle tracks | Texas Tortoise Shell | |
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| Desert Tortoise Scat | Gopher Tortoise tracks | |
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| Gopher Tortoise tracks |
Gopher Tortoise tracks | Gopher Tortoise tracks |
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