Every October 21 is National Reptile Awareness Day and this year I'm honoring the event by sharing a few facts that I recently learned about
turtles regulating their body temperatures.
Though turtles live in or around water bodies,
they are not amphibians but reptiles.
A reptile is a terrestrial vertebrate covered by a scaly hard shell and the creature (a Red-eared slider) seen in the photograph directly above is catching some rays from a top a rock near Hernshead's Cove,
one of six boat landings along the shoreline of the Lake within
Central Park.
According to a blog posting within
Hints Of Life,
"Heat absorption is more effective when their limbs are stretched outwards. Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but as they are cold-blooded, they leave the water to sunbathe to regulate their temperature."
The aforementioned entry goes on to explain,
"turtles are poikilotherms, meaning they are unable to regulate their body temperatures independently; they are completely dependent on the temperature of their environment. For this reason, they need to sunbathe frequently to warm themselves and maintain their body temperatures."
I've mentioned before, every time I see a turtle in the park, I am introduced to a habit of theirs, and am in awe. This should not come as a surprise to you, dear reader, for as many of you know, their shells are the inspiration for my
kaleidoscopic photographic print titled
Turtle Pond, which is pictured below...
... and is available in many sizes through
Fine Art America (or FAA) who have the ability to print wall art on an array of surfaces (wood, canvas acrylic, metal and more) as well as on items for the home and/or personal use.
