Thermal ecology of three potentially at-risk species of Mexican kinosternid turtles
Surprisingly little is known about the thermal ecology of Mexican kinosternid turtles. We studied the body temperatures of Kinosternon cora, K. durangoense, and K. herrerai from Mexico. Mean body temperatures of the three species were 25.0 °C for K. cora, 21.9 °C for K. durangoense, and 23.3 °C for K. herrerai. Body temperature (Tb) in K. cora were negatively related to water temperatures (Tw). Body temperatures in K. cora were lower than Tw and the differences between Tb and Tw increased with Tw. In both K. durangoense and K. herrerai, Tb increased with both Ta and Tw. In K. durangoense, Tb was higher than Tw below ≈ 22 °C and lower than Tw above ≈ 22 °C. In K. herrerai, Tb was higher than Tw below ≈ 23.5 °C and lower than Tw above ≈ 23.5 °C. Males and females did not differ in Tb in all three species. Our results suggest a role for environmental temperatures—especially water temperature—in determining body temperature in these three species of Mexican Kinosternon. However, our results also suggest that these turtles can maintain Tb different from their aquatic habitat, suggesting at least a limited ability to thermoregulate.
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