Editing Red-eared slider (section)

== Behavior ==
Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but as they are cold-blooded, they leave the water to sunbathe to regulate their temperature.

[[File:RES flipping over.ogv|thumb|Flipping over procedure extending the neck]]

=== Hibernation ===
Red-eared sliders do not [[Hibernation|hibernate]], but actually [[Brumation|brumate]]; while they become less active, they do occasionally rise to the surface for food or air. Brumation can occur to varying degrees. In the wild, red-eared sliders brumate over the winter at the bottoms of ponds or shallow lakes. They generally become inactive in October, when temperatures fall below {{convert|10|C|F}}.<ref name=hibernar/> During this time, the turtles enter a state of [[sopor (sleep)|sopor]], during which they do not eat or defecate, they remain nearly motionless, and the frequency of their breathing falls. Individuals usually brumate under water, but they have also been found under banks and rocks, and in hollow stumps. In warmer winter climates, they can become active and come to the surface for basking. When the temperature begins to drop again, however, they quickly return to a brumation state. Sliders generally come up for food in early March to as late as the end of April.

[[File:Tortoise1 cepolina.jpg|thumb|left|Red-eared slider sunbathing: Heat absorption is more effective when their limbs are stretched outwards.]]

During brumation, ''T.&nbsp;s.&nbsp;elegans'' can survive anaerobically for weeks, producing [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]] from [[glycolysis]]. The turtle's metabolic rate drops dramatically, with heart rate and cardiac output dropping by 80% to minimize energy requirements.<ref>
{{cite journal 
 | last1 = Hicks   | first1 = J.M. 
 | last2 = Farrell | first2 = A.P. 
 | year = 2000 
 | title = The cardiovascular responses of the red-eared slider (''Trachemys scripta'') acclimated to either 22 or {{nobr|5 degrees C.}} – I.&nbsp;Effects of anoxic exposure on in vivo cardiac performance 
 | journal = The Journal of Experimental Biology 
 | volume = 203 | issue = Pt&nbsp;24 | pages = 3765–3774 
 | doi = 10.1242/jeb.203.24.3765  | pmid = 11076774
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite journal 
 | last1 = Hicks   | first1 = J.M. 
 | last2 = Farrell | first2 = A.P. 
 | year = 2000 
 | title = The cardiovascular responses of the red-eared slider (''Trachemys scripta'') acclimated to either 22 or {{nobr|5 degrees C.}} – II.&nbsp;Effects of anoxia on adrenergic and cholinergic control 
 | journal = The Journal of Experimental Biology 
 | volume = 203  | issue = Pt&nbsp;24  | pages = 3775–3784 
 | doi = 10.1242/jeb.203.24.3775  | pmid = 11076740
}}
</ref>
The lactic acid produced is buffered by minerals in the shell, preventing [[acidosis]].<ref>
{{cite journal 
 | last1 = Krivoruchko | first1 = A. 
 | last2 = Storey      | first2 = K.B. 
 | year = 2010 
 | title = Forever young: Mechanisms of natural anoxia tolerance and potential links to longevity 
 | journal = Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 
 | volume = 3  | issue = 3  | pages = 186–198 
 | pmid = 20716943  | pmc =2952077 
 | doi = 10.4161/oxim.3.3.12356 
}}
</ref>
Red-eared sliders kept captive indoors should not brumate.

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Egg-tooth2.jpg|thumb|Hatching turtle with its [[egg tooth]]]]
[[courtship display|Courtship]] and [[mating]] activities for red-eared sliders usually occur between March and July, and take place under water. During courtship, the male swims around the female and flutters or vibrates the back side of his long claws on and around her face and head, possibly to direct [[pheromone]]s towards her.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Chitty, J. |author2=Raftery, A. |name-list-style=amp |title=Essentials of Tortoise Medicine and Surgery |chapter=Biology |page=38 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=waYRAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA38 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4051-9544-7}}</ref> The female swims toward the male, and if she is receptive, sinks to the bottom for mating. If the female is not receptive, she may become aggressive towards the male. Courtship can last 45&nbsp;minutes, but mating takes only 10&nbsp;minutes.<ref name=NOBANIS/>

On occasion, a male may appear to be courting another male, and when kept in captivity may also show this behaviour towards other household pets. Between male turtles, it could be a sign of dominance and may preclude a fight. Young turtles may carry out the courtship dance before they reach sexual maturity at 5&nbsp;years of age, but they are unable to mate.<ref name=reprod>{{cite web |title=Reproducción |website=reslider.free.fr |url=http://reslider.free.fr/es/index.html |access-date=21 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121225041548/http://reslider.free.fr/es/index.html |archive-date=25 December 2012}}</ref>[[File:Red Eared Slider laying egg.jpg|thumb|Female laying eggs in a nest she dug out with her hind legs|left]]After mating, the female spends extra time basking to keep her eggs warm.<ref name=reprod/> She may also have a change of diet, eating only certain foods, or not eating as much as she normally would. A female can lay between two and 30&nbsp;eggs depending on body size and other factors.<ref name=daisie/> One female can lay up to 5&nbsp;clutches in the same year, and clutches are usually spaced 12–36&nbsp;days apart.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Trachemys scripta'' |series=Turtles of the World |author1=Ernst |display-authors=etal |website=Nlbif.eti.uva.nl |publisher=[[Universiteit van Amsterdam]] |place=Amsterdam, NL |url=http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&record=Trachemys%20scripta |access-date=2010-03-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806105723/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&record=Trachemys%20scripta |archive-date=2011-08-06 }}</ref> The time between mating and egg-laying can be days or weeks. The fertilization and laying can also be in conjunction, with eggs immediately laid <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tucker |first1=John K. |last2=Paukstis |first2=Gary L. |last3=Janzen |first3=Fredric J. |date=1998 |title=Annual and Local Variation in Reproduction in the Red-Eared Slider, Trachemys scripta elegans |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1565205 |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=515–526 |doi=10.2307/1565205 |jstor=1565205 |issn=0022-1511|url-access=subscription }}</ref> based on location and nutrients available. The actual egg fertilization takes place during the egg-laying. This process also permits the laying of fertile [[Egg cell|eggs]] the following season, as the [[sperm]] can remain viable and available in the female's body in the absence of mating. During the last weeks of gestation, the female spends less time in the water and smells and scratches at the ground, indicating she is searching for a suitable place to lay her eggs. The female excavates a hole, using her hind legs, and lays her eggs in it.<ref>{{cite web |author=Loza, V. Antonio |title=''Trachemys scripta elegans'' (Tortuga de orejas rojas) |url=http://atlas.drpez.org/Trachemys_scripta_elegans |access-date=21 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717164942/http://atlas.drpez.org/Trachemys_scripta_elegans |archive-date=17 July 2007 }}</ref>
[[File:Red-ear slider hatchlings.jpg|thumb|A turn of [[hatchling]]s held by a [[biologist]] in [[Natchez, Mississippi]]]]
Incubation takes 59–112&nbsp;days.<ref name="daisie">{{cite journal |title=''Trachemys scripta'' |last=Scalera |first=Riccardo |website=europe-aliens.org |date=2020 |quote=Delivering alien invasive species inventories for Europe |publisher=Europe Aliens |doi=10.15468/ybwd3x |url=http://www.europe-aliens.org/pdf/Trachemys_scripta.pdf |access-date=25 September 2013}}</ref> Late-season hatchlings may spend the winter in the nest and emerge when the weather warms in the spring. Just prior to hatching, the egg contains 50% turtle and 50% egg sac. A new hatchling breaks open its egg with its [[egg tooth]], which falls out about an hour after hatching. This egg tooth never grows back. Hatchlings may stay inside their eggshells after hatching for the first day or two. If they are forced to leave the eggshell before they are ready, they will return if possible. When a hatchling decides to leave the shell, it still has a small sac protruding from its plastron. The [[yolk sac]] is vital and provides nourishment while visible, and several days later, it will have been absorbed into the turtle's belly. The sac must be absorbed, and does not fall off. The split must heal on its own before the turtle is able to swim. The time between the egg hatching and water entry is 21&nbsp;days.

[[File:Turtles Costa Rica.jpg|thumb|right|A pair of mature red-eared sliders]]Damage to or inordinate motion of the protruding egg yolk – enough to allow air into the turtle's body – results in death. This is the main reason for marking the top of turtle eggs if their relocation is required for any reason. An egg turned upside down will eventually terminate the embryo's growth by the sac smothering the embryo. If it manages to reach term, the turtle will try to flip over with the yolk sac, which would allow air into the body cavity and cause death. The other fatal danger is water getting into the body cavity before the sac is absorbed completely, and while the opening has not completely healed yet.

The sex of red-eared sliders is determined by the [[Temperature-dependent sex determination|incubation temperature]] during critical phases of the embryos' development. This is a phenomenon known as temperature-dependent sex determination.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=John K. |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/15181 |title=Natural history notes on nesting, nests, and hatchling emergence in the red-eared slider turtle, trachemys scripta elegans, in west-central Illinois |last2=Tucker |first2=John K. |last3=Rice |first3=Thomas E. |last4=Warwick |first4=Charles |last5=Jeffords |first5=Michael R. |last6=Illinois |date=1997 |publisher=Illinois Natural History Survey |location=Champaign, Ill}}</ref> Only males are produced when eggs are incubated at temperatures of {{convert|22|-|27|C|F|0|abbr=on}}, whereas females develop at warmer temperatures.<ref>[http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/red-eared_slider_712.html Washington NatureMapping Program, Animal Facts: Red-eared Slider.] Retrieved: 2012-11-13.</ref> Colder temperatures result in the death of the embryos.