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AUTHORS: Samantha Fontaine, Environmental Protection Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY; Jennifer Higbie Environmental Protection Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY; Dr. Timothy Green Environmental Protection Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
ABSTRACT: Eastern box turtles have been tracked via radio telemetry at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) since 2011. Some studies have shown that box turtles exhibit overwintering site fidelity, hibernating in the same location every year. We tracked 19 eastern box turtles at BNL during the fall of 2016 and compared data with historical records from 2013 and 2015 to determine if eastern box turtles at BNL exhibit overwintering site fidelity. We constructed Minimum Convex Polygons (MCP) for each turtle's annual and fall ranges each year. All turtles used significantly less area in the fall than the rest of the year. Seven turtles had fall ranges that overlapped directly each year, while nine others had fall ranges that were within 60m each year. Seventeen turtles returned to sites within 100m to overwinter each year. Two turtles were outliers, with one overwintering in a distant location in 2013 and one overwintering in distant locations each year. Eastern box turtles at BNL do exhibit overwintering site fidelity and these specific locations are important parts of their home ranges. Habitat fragmentation should be minimized to preserve these areas and keep them connected to the rest of the home range.
