METABOLISM AND BEHAVIOR OF WINTERING COMMON MAP TURTLES, GRAPTEMYS-GEOGRAPHICA, IN VERMONT

Aquatic oxygen consumption, VO2 (mul O2 . g-1 . h-1), of three adult ( 2 females, 1 male) Common Map Turtles wintering on the bottom of the L amoille River was F1 (mass = 1964 g) = 0.493; F2 (1834 g) = 0.577; and M1 (188 g) = 1.376. The higher metabolism of the male (2.4-2.8X great er than that of the females) is partly explained on the basis of the g reater locomotor activity of the male than either female in the respir ometer chambers. SCUBA observation of numerous map turtles on the rive r bottom revealed that the intersexual differences in activity level n oted for animals in the chambers is similar to that of free-ranging tu rtles.