Hibernation in Reeves’ Turtles (Mauremys reevesii) in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China: Hibernation Beginning and End and Habitat Selection

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study investigated Reeves’ turtle (Mauremys reevesii) using radiotelemetry to determine the beginning and end dates of, and habitats selected for, hibernation, and to inform future conservation strategies for protection of this species during the hibernation season. Hibernation began in late October 2021 and arousal began in March 2022. Reeves’ turtles mainly hibernate in abandoned ponds or lands. The terrestrial hibernation sites had more herbage cover and were close to the field edge, and the aquatic hibernation sites were covered with herbage, which provides shelter and protection and thermal stability for the turtles during hibernation. We suggest vigilantly protecting this unique resource to provide Reeves’ turtles with secure hibernaculum sites and avoiding redevelopment of these areas during hibernation. ABSTRACT: Hibernation protects turtles from extreme winter conditions. Reeves’ turtle (Mauremys reevesii) is a medium-sized aquatic turtle that lives in freshwater habitats in lowland areas with still or slowly moving water. Currently, little is known regarding its overwintering behavior. In the current study, 20 Reeves’ turtles from the wild were investigated using radiotelemetry in the field to determine the beginning and end dates of, and habitat selected for, hibernation. Hibernation began in late October 2021 and arousal began in March 2022. Reeves’ turtles do not appear to be limited in their selection of suitable hibernation habitats, which included fish ponds, abandoned ponds (ponds not being used for farming), marshes, and abandoned fields (fields not being used for farming). In the aquatic hibernation habitats, only herbage cover was significantly different between the selected and random habitats (t = 2.525, df = 9, p = 0.033). In the terrestrial hibernation habitats, there were significant differences in the canopy (Z = −2.201, p = 0.028), slope gradient (Z = −2.032, p = 0.042), herbage cover (Z = −2.379, p = 0.017), and distance from the habitat edge (Z = −2.524, p = 0.012) between the selected and random habitats. This indicates that Reeves’ turtles prefer to hibernate at the soft edges of flat habitats with low canopy and high herbage cover when hibernating in terrestrial habitats and prefer to hibernate at sites with high herbage cover when hibernating in aquatic habitats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate hibernation in wild Reeves’ turtles in the field, and the results identify key ecological variables correlated with habitat selection during hibernation. This knowledge could inform local conservation measures related to farming activities.