Wildlife As Sentinels of Human Health Effects in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Basin
There is no existing formal, long-term program for gathering evidence of the incidence and severity of the health effects of toxic substances in wildlife. However, research-based studies of bald eagles, herring gulls, night herons, tree swallows, snapping turtles, mink, and beluga over the past 30 years have revealed a broad spectrum of health effects in […]
Calcium and phosphorus supplementation decreases growth, but does not induce pyramiding, in young red-eared sliders, Trachemys scripta elegans
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1998)17:13.3.CO;2-L It has been speculated that pyramiding, a condition in which the scutes of the carapace become deformed and elevated, may be caused by an imbalance in dietary calcium (Ca) and/or phosphorus (P). This was tested by feeding 48 red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), 12–14 weeks old, one of four diets for 150 days. […]
Long-Term Retention of Visual Tasks by Two Species of Emydid Turtles, Pseudemys nelsoni and Trachemys scripta
Long-lived species are expected to have long-term memory capabilities. In this study we tested nine Florida Red-bellied Cooters (Pseudemys nelsoni) on their retention for both a procedural food acquisition task and visual discrimination task learned in a previous experiment. The turtles were tested and retrained after two months, after another 7.5 months, and finally after […]
Training and long-term memory of a novel food acquisition task in a turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni)
We developed a shaping procedure for training Florida red-bellied cooters, Pseudemys nelsoni, to dislodge clear plastic bottles to obtain food pellets. The animals were then trained in a 2-choice problem to choose only the bottle containing pellets. All nine turtles learned the task of knocking over bottles for food. For the discrimination task, turtles chose […]
Of Iguanas and Dinosaurs- Social Behavior and Communication in Neonate Reptiles
Newborn and newly hatched reptiles show diverse types of social behavior. Aggregation behavior in snakes, dominance in turtles, vocalization in crocodilians, and synchronized nest emergence, migration, and foraging behavior in iguanas are documented. Such evidence casts doubt on inferences about a generalized reptilian level of social organization qualitatively inferior to that found in birds and […]
Turtle Vocalizations as the First Evidence of Posthatching Parental Care in Chelonians
Until recently, freshwater turtles were thought to be silent reptiles, neither vocalizing nor hearing very well. We recorded individuals in nature, captivity, and during interactions between adults and hatchlings and show that hatchlings and adult turtles, Podocnemis expansa, produce sounds in and out of the water. Sounds were emitted by hatchlings inside the egg, in […]
Relational responding by eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina) in a series of color discrimination tasks
Prior work with chelonians has demonstrated their capacity for successful performance in cognitive tasks, including those requiring color discrimination. Here, we sought to expand on historical research and determine whether eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina) are capable of not only making simple color discriminations but also whether they can demonstrate abstract concept formation evidenced by […]