Abstract

The use of terrestrial habitat by freshwater turtles is receiving increased attention by herpetologists, driven in part by conservation efforts to protect critical upland habitat. I report on a high degree of non-nesting terrestrial activity by Chrysemys picta in Virginia. During a three-year project, 60 individual adult turtles were followed by radiotelemetry, primarily during the summer, with 22 of them being detected on land. Fifteen turtles dispersed overland at distances up to 3300 m, two turtles nested, four turtles aestivated on land for a mean of 34 days, and an adult male overwintered on land for approximately 290 days. Terrestrial activity was evidently prompted by drying of the home ponds. Most available upland habitats were used, with slight preferences by dispersing turtles for wooded habitats and by aestivating turtles for non-wooded habitats. Aestivation on land by C. picta has rarely been reported but may be fairly common during periods of drought. Overwintering on land by adult C. picta has not been reported and will require additional research to explain the physiological responses needed to survive. This study underscores the importance of upland habitat in the life history and conservation of freshwater turtles.