5 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Wild Freshwater Turtles Too They are placed at night in a position similar to when they sunbathe during the dayaccording to a study published in Global Ecology and Conservation
The research, developed in dozens of observations around the world, suggests that the behavior is widespread and occurs in many species.
La Trobe University postdoctoral researcher Dr Donald McKnight said he first observed freshwater turtles basking in the Ross River in Townsville, Australia.
“They would get up at night and sit on logs exhibiting behavior very similar to what they do during the day; When we investigated it, it wasn’t something turtles were supposed to do.”said Dr. McKnight it’s a statement.
“We think it’s related to temperature. The water stays so warm at night that it’s actually warmer than the turtles like and they can cool off when they get out of the water. It is widespread in the turtle family tree, except that it is only found in the tropics and subtropics.said Dr. McKnight.
For this study, a team of researchers from around the world placed cameras on logs to monitor the nocturnal activity of as many freshwater turtle species as possible.
Cameras taking a picture every two minutes were installed in 25 places from Australia, Belize, Germany, India, Seychelles, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and South Africa. These captured data on 29 species from seven of the freshwater turtle families.
