'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a.......turtle?
With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, many families
will be reading Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the poem, the winter solstice is a few days
away, bringing with it the shortest day of the year. With dark and cold
conditions aplenty, it’s certainly a good time for a nap. And no one does
napping better than the sea turtles of the Giant Ocean Tank!
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| Myrtle snoozing |
Visitors often see a seemingly lifeless turtle on the
bottom of the GOT and become quite concerned about the turtle’s well-being.
Believe it or not, these turtles are just snoozing! Like many of us, the
turtles like to get some much needed shuteye. And as they can stay underwater
for two hours or more, visitors may see the turtles in the same spot at both
the beginning and the end of a visit!
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| Mid-nap back scratch! |
Sea turtles were built for life under the waves, as that’s where
they spend most of their time eating, mating, migrating or sleeping. So how can
they stay underwater for so long? A bunch of things! First of all, sea turtles
are really quick at breathing. Just a couple of seconds are needed at the
surface to replenish their lungs with new air, allowing for a quick oxygen
fuel-up before a dive. Waiting to see Myrtle break the water surface of the GOT?
Don’t blink…you might miss it!
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| Loggerhead turtle up for a quick breath |
Once the air is in the lungs, there’s a lot more surface
area than us humans for gas exchange, and more oxygen can be absorbed quickly into the body.
With that newly-absorbed oxygen in their lungs, blood and tissues, turtles are
really efficient at utilizing ALL of it. And because they are not using as many muscle
groups when they are napping, metabolic rates slow down and oxygen lasts longer. Add
in other things like specialized respiratory passageways and a tolerance for low
oxygen conditions and you’ve got some turtles that can take crazy long naps
for several hours!
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| Lungs filled? Check. Ready to find a good nap spot... |
With three turtles currently in the exhibit, you may think
it’s easy to see them. It may be tricky, however, as each one of them takes
several naps throughout the day. Fortunately, there are favorite nap
spots in the exhibit. Take a look under the coral overhangs by a bottom sandy
section of the exhibit and you may find a loggerhead turtle. For Myrtle, check
on the top of the coral reef. In either location, you may just see a turtle
“settled down for a long winter’s nap”.
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| Ahhh...naptime! |
