In cold climates, where do turtles go in the winter?
Marine turtles, such as the green turtle, can migrate into warmer waters in cold conditions. It is known that these migrations can be incredible journeys of many hundreds of miles. Other turtles have to cope with the changes in the climate by different means. Many turtles may be said to hibernate during cold or otherwise adverse conditions although this is not strictly correct because hibernation only really relates to homeothermic or warm-blooded animals which lower their body temperature during periods of hibernation. Since turtles are reptiles and are poikilothermic or cold-blooded animals they do not truly hibernate but may enter a state of torpor or inactivity when conditions are not favourable. One example of a turtle which goes into a state of inactivity in certain climatic conditions is the box turtle which is found as far north as New England and as far south as Mexico. The box turtle buries itself about 6-10 inches deep in soft soil or mud and, with a decreased rate of metabo
