As this tepid winter sweeps through NYC, a few careful eyes may spot a peculiar sight lounging in the mid-afternoon sun of our urban park spaces. Turtles, out and about in the middle of December! This Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) was found on December 9, 2022, at 2:06 pm; it was one of nearly a dozen other turtles seen in Central Park that day.
Reptiles do not actually hibernate according to the strict definition of hibernation. Instead, they undergo a process called brumation! Brumation is different from hibernation in that it is unique to poikilotherms or “cold-blooded animals.” Whereas hibernation is unique to warm-blooded animals (homeotherms) and also typically lasts longer. During brumation, the organism’s metabolism slows, and processes like digestion come to a halt. An individual will actually awaken if the conditions are right, and on days like this one, where the temperature reached 41 degrees, one may spot some reptiles braving the cold!
This species is an interesting case since the pet trade introduced them to NYC from their native range. According to iNaturalist observations, pond sliders (Trachemys scripta), of which red-eared sliders are a subspecies, are the most common turtle within the city limits. As such, they are a really interesting example of how life is adapting to conditions within the Anthropocene. These turtles do not undergo brumation in their native range of the Southern United States and Central America, truly demonstrating the adaptive plasticity present within this species. It has wholly established itself in Central Park and other urban spaces. And their presence will likely continue to grow as the earth continues to warm.
This kind of sight, a large turtle basking in the sun during what is historically one of the coldest months out of the entire year, is likely associated with the specific qualities of urban areas like Manhattan. The urban heat island effect is a result of urbanization, specifically the usage of impervious surfaces like concrete, asphalt, and glass in place of natural land cover like grass or woodland. Overuse of these materials causes notable shifts in the local environmental conditions, increasing the incidence of hot weather and heat waves. These climatic conditions can prove fatal and dangerous for humans and wildlife alike.
Ways to combat the urban heat island effect range from promoting new green infrastructure to protecting natural spaces. NYC, in particular, could look to advance the usage of green roofs and promote food security, access to nature, and climate-conscious decision-making in the process! We should all do our part to protect the life around us and do what we must to mitigate the negative effects of human advancement.
References
Dupuis-Desormeaux, Marc, Jeffrey E. Lovich, and J. Whitfield Gibbons. “Re-Evaluating Invasive Species in Degraded Ecosystems: A Case Study of Red-Eared Slider Turtles as Partial Ecological Analogs.” Discover Sustainability 3, no. 1 (December 1, 2022): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-022-00083-w.
Discovery Place Nature. “Hibernation vs. Brumation vs. Estivation.” Accessed January 19, 2023. https://nature.discoveryplace.org/blog/ask-a-naturalist-hibernation-vs.-brumation-vs.-estivation.
Tong, Shilu, Jason Prior, Glenn McGregor, Xiaoming Shi, and Patrick Kinney. “Building Healthy Communities: Urban Heat: An Increasing Threat to Global Health.” The BMJ 375 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2467.
Oregon State Red-eared Slider Species Guide
Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, Tweet at us, and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!
Featured image: © Rafael Enrique Baez Segui, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
I am interested in how the anthropocene has swayed the forces of evolution, specifically through understanding urban adaptation and population disease ecology.
I want to be a voice for victims of environmental racism, systemic injustice, and the legacy of colonialism.
We all have our roles to play in life's collective struggle against the universe's call to entropy.
Currently researching: Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla veriscolor) in NYC.
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