Overwintering Site Fidelity in the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) in Western Poland

2015

The location of overwintering sites of six male and six female European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) were studied using radiotelemetry in Western Poland, over a period of four consecutive seasons. Most of the studied individuals overwintered in the same area during the research; most distances between two consecutive overwintering sites were 0–25 m. However, changes related to the overwintering area were observed, and in such cases the distance between overwintering sites on two consecutive seasons could exceed 2 km. These results can support an efficient conservation strategy of the turtle population.