Northern Red-bellied Cooter in the Springtime Sun

If you're an ectotherm (AKA cold blooded [1]) like this Northern Red-bellied Cooter, nothing warms your heart like the sun. By late May (I'd imagine) all turtles are out of brumation, but temperatures may still be cool, inspiring turtles to warm themselves in the sun quite often [2].

I'm thinking this individual is a female since the plastron looks way more orange than pink. (Yes, in this case pink is for boys.)

May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 292818095, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] It sounds like actual scientists don't use warm blooded and cold blooded since there are also mesotherms that regulate body temperature a little bit between ectotherms and endotherms.

[2] Unfortunately, as eager as they might be to sun themselves, they're still more than willing to dive in the water if you attempt to take their picture.

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