Seasonal Microhabitat Selections of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) in Maryland Elucidated by Radioisotope Tracking

From May 1973 through February 1974, microhabitat selections of spotted turtles, Clemmys guttata (Schneider), in Maryland were determined intermittently by detecting radiotantalum$({}^{182}{\rm Ta})$pins affixed to the carapaces of 105 turtles. Sixty-six of these were recaptured a total of 197 times during the 10-month study. Turtles generally left their shallow aquatic habitat in late May and burrowed into litter and vegetation in an early successional stage of paludal woods. In late fall, they reoccupied the shallow pools for the winter. Microhabitat selections during the study period likely reflect behavioral adaptations for thermoregulation, avoidance of dessication and predators, and exploitation of food resources.