rebekah.c.james
Airlie Gardens Turtle
This photo was taken at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, NC. It was taken on April 2, 2017. This photo depicts a Yellowbelly Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta). This turtle is native to a large portion of the southeastern US. In North Carolina they reside mostly in the Piedmont and Coastal areas. It tends to inhabit areas of slow moving rivers, ponds, lakes, floodplains, marshes, and swamps. They are omnivorous. As evident by the photo the Yellowbelly Slider is basking in the sun. Aquatic turtles are ectotherms, meaning they rely on other sources of heat, in this case the sun and the warmth of the rock, to maintain their body temperatures. Basking allows these turtles to absorb warmth and necessary UV rays. Basking also reduces algal growth on the shell, thus reducing the likelihood of bacterial and fungal infections. This is an ecological advantage, as these turtles no longer must expend energy to regulate their body temperature. This energy can then be used for other things, such as hunting and reproduction, that increase the overall fitness of the species instead. Also reducing the chance of fungal and bacterial infections increases the likelihood of organism's long term survival.
www.redearslider.com/basking.html
Airlie Gardens Turtle
This photo was taken at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, NC. It was taken on April 2, 2017. This photo depicts a Yellowbelly Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta). This turtle is native to a large portion of the southeastern US. In North Carolina they reside mostly in the Piedmont and Coastal areas. It tends to inhabit areas of slow moving rivers, ponds, lakes, floodplains, marshes, and swamps. They are omnivorous. As evident by the photo the Yellowbelly Slider is basking in the sun. Aquatic turtles are ectotherms, meaning they rely on other sources of heat, in this case the sun and the warmth of the rock, to maintain their body temperatures. Basking allows these turtles to absorb warmth and necessary UV rays. Basking also reduces algal growth on the shell, thus reducing the likelihood of bacterial and fungal infections. This is an ecological advantage, as these turtles no longer must expend energy to regulate their body temperature. This energy can then be used for other things, such as hunting and reproduction, that increase the overall fitness of the species instead. Also reducing the chance of fungal and bacterial infections increases the likelihood of organism's long term survival.
www.redearslider.com/basking.html