Temperture differences and surviving

[DoctorCosmonaut]

How is that some tortoise species can survive colder temps while others can not? Does it have to do with metabolism? Why can a box turtle live in hot and cold and my RF can't? Just wondering...

 

[Laura]

Some of it depends on the species and some of it is aclimation.
I sudden shock of temp difference isnt good. It may also depend on if its wet cold or dry cold, and the condition of the tortoise to begin with.
Why do some die in Hibernation and others dont?
Certain species come from harsher climates. How cold does it get in Russia? Amazon? Africa? varies greatly.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

I know they come from different climates... but so do dogs and cats... And since coldblooded animals heat themselves with solar radiation, how come some can survive here and others can't? I mean what is the big biological difference between a Russian and a Redfoot? I'm not talking about where they lived, I mean biologically how can one do it? Its not like a Russian has more fat on it like a whale or fur...

 

[Madkins007]

I know they come from different climates... but so do dogs and cats... And since coldblooded animals heat themselves with solar radiation, how come some can survive here and others can't? I mean what is the big biological difference between a Russian and a Redfoot? I'm not talking about where they lived, I mean biologically how can one do it? Its not like a Russian has more fat on it like a whale or fur...

Coldblooded does mean the same as solar powered. They are ectothermic (or poikilothermic to be even more technically accurate)- that is, they are the same basic temp as their environment.

Torts survive cold snaps in a few different ways-
- Brumation, if it is going to be a long time. Change body chemistry and metabolism so as to almost be in suspended animation. Russians do this for as much as 9 months a year.
- Aestivation, for shorter term- this is a deep sleep, little if any biological change. Red-foots seem to do this in the parts of their range that get cold (some of their range hits freezing at times). Part of the benefit of this may just be getting deep in the ground.
- Toleration. Many torts just deal with it. While we think of torts as being heat-seeking creatures, torts often do amazingly well at low temps, at least for a while. There are many photos available of Red-foots with snow on them. This works best when there is strong sunlight or for rather short bursts.
- Blood chemistry. I do not know for sure about torts, but many reptiles that are found in colder areas or at heights have a different blood chemistry that allows them to remain more mobile.
- Behavior. A lot of ectothermic success is just knowing how to get warmer and how to get cooler as needed.

 

[sara]

I know they come from different climates... but so do dogs and cats... And since coldblooded animals heat themselves with solar radiation, how come some can survive here and others can't? I mean what is the big biological difference between a Russian and a Redfoot? I'm not talking about where they lived, I mean biologically how can one do it? Its not like a Russian has more fat on it like a whale or fur...

Coldblooded does mean the same as solar powered. They are ectothermic (or poikilothermic to be even more technically accurate)- that is, they are the same basic temp as their environment.

Torts survive cold snaps in a few different ways-
- Brumation, if it is going to be a long time. Change body chemistry and metabolism so as to almost be in suspended animation. Russians do this for as much as 9 months a year.
- Aestivation, for shorter term- this is a deep sleep, little if any biological change. Red-foots seem to do this in the parts of their range that get cold (some of their range hits freezing at times). Part of the benefit of this may just be getting deep in the ground.
- Toleration. Many torts just deal with it. While we think of torts as being heat-seeking creatures, torts often do amazingly well at low temps, at least for a while. There are many photos available of Red-foots with snow on them. This works best when there is strong sunlight or for rather short bursts.
- Blood chemistry. I do not know for sure about torts, but many reptiles that are found in colder areas or at heights have a different blood chemistry that allows them to remain more mobile.
- Behavior. A lot of ectothermic success is just knowing how to get warmer and how to get cooler as needed.

this is very helpful information as i may be moving to alaska. although i will keep up on the heat lamps and all that, however its the traveling that was concerning me. we may be on the raod as long as 3 days. bert (a red foot) is my main concern. i know travel is stressful, but do you think he will be o.k. without a heat source untill we stop for the night? can he adjust for a few days?
your information is very interresting. i am learning ALOT !