New York State is home to 19 turtle species. The five most common turtles in NYC Parks, specifically in Central Park and Prospect Park, are the Red-eared Sliders, the Painted Turtles, the Common Snapping Turtle, the Northern Red-Bellied Turtle, and the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle. All 5 turtles are cold-blooded and prefer to live in or around freshwater and saltwater mixture. This means that their body temperature is dependent on their environmental temperature. Since they’re cold-blooded, turtles go through brumation at the bottom of lakes or ponds. During brumation, turtles lower their metabolism and enter a state of sleep.
Then in warm seasons, turtles resurface to bask/sunbathe, by stacking on top of each other, in order to keep their body temperature warm and relax. Our research on iNaturalist showed that people observed turtles more in the warmer months than they did in the colder months.