Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina, Neonate Overwintering Ecology on Long Island, New York

Abstract We studied 11 nests, and the resulting neonates of Eastern Box turtles (Terrapene carolina) in New York in 2001 and 2002, and documented neonate emergence and movements. None overwintered in the nest; instead, they emerged in the fall and overwintered buried shallowly close to the nest, where they were exposed to temperatures as low as −7°C. Further research is needed regarding neonate T. carolina behavior and the relative advantages of overwintering in the nest and overwintering terrestrially outside the nest.

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