Page 20 - Gateways 2018 Spring

Cold Weather Adaptations continued

Blanding's turtles Help wildlife

hibernate underwater. by planting bushes
or trees that
initiative should reveal exactly how many produce seeds
snakes are living at the zoo. or berries.

Blanding’s turtles are considered an
endangered species in Illinois. Roughly two
dozen of these creatures spend the winter
hibernating in one of the ponds on Brookfield
Zoo’s grounds. Animal care staff have placed an
aerator in the pond so that it doesn’t completely
freeze during the winter, making it easier for
the turtles to emerge during brief warming
spells. This has allowed the turtles to flourish,
even during the coldest months. Staff plan to
eventually breed these turtles and, working
together with scientists with the Forest Preserve
District of DuPage County, release them into
the wild.

20 GATEWAYS | THE ART OF WEATHERING THE WINTER