It is my understanding that nearly all aquatic turtles have the ability to “breathe”, that is, to take in oxygen from the water via the cloaca. That is necessary because in temperate climates they must lie submerged in the bottom litter or mud of a stream or lake through the cold months of the year, at least from ice in to ice out conditions. This turtle may be unusual if it can sustain itself in this way in warm weather as well as cold, as most turtles can not at the higher metabolic rate that warm weather brings.
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