How long can a sea turtle hold its breath underwater? 10 Facts to Know

What is the maximum amount of time that turtles can hold their breath Underwater?

What is an Underwater Turtle?

Turtles are reptiles, mostly aquatic, that have a hard shell on their back and no limbs. They have an elongated body and a wide-beaked shell. They can be found in the water or on land, but they usually live in freshwater wetlands or saltwater marshes.

How long can a sea turtle hold its breath underwater?

The sea turtle has the ability to hold its breath for an hour or more, which is one of the reasons why they are able to spend so much time in the water.

Turtles have a longer lifespan than most other animals on Earth. They can live up to 100 years and even longer in captivity.

Despite the fact that turtles spend a significant amount of time underwater, they are unable to breathe underwater.

Turtles, on the other hand, have developed to be able to hold their breath for extended amounts of time, allowing them to remain underwater for considerably longer lengths of time than we can.

The length of time that turtles can hold their breath underwater varies depending on the turtle’s age and species.

Examples include turtles that can only stay underwater for a few minutes and others that have been confirmed to stay underwater for several hours.

Continue reading to find out more about how long turtles can hold their breath before passing out.

This article takes a careful look at how long turtles can survive underwater depending on the type of turtle and the situation. Let’s get this party started.

What is the Difference Between a Sea Turtle & a Tortoise?

Sea turtles are reptiles that have an elongated body, webbed feet, and a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have an elongated head with long jaws that can open wide to swallow prey whole.

Sea turtles also have flippers for swimming in the water.

Tortoises are reptiles that are covered with scales and their shell is domed in shape. Their bodies are short and stocky with short legs. Their shells are made of layers of plates called scutes.

The behaviour of the Turtle

It is necessary to discuss turtle breathing and swimming habits before we can get into the specific times of the day.

Despite the fact that turtles spend a significant amount of time underwater, they are predominantly terrestrial animals. They will perish if they are submerged in water for an extended period of time.

In comparison to humans, turtles have the ability to remain submerged for longer periods of time.

Water provides a lot of food and hiding places for these prey animals, therefore it’s likely that turtles originated in this manner.

In addition, turtles can move far more quickly underwater, which allows them to evade their predators much more effectively.

Why Turtles Can Maintain Their Breathing Underwater for Such a Long Period of Time?

Turtles, as previously stated, have the ability to hold their breath underwater for significantly longer periods of time than humans.

For the most part, there are three basic causes for this. For starters, turtles have a totally different respiratory, skeletal, and muscle system than we do, which allows them to breathe more easily than humans.

In addition, certain varieties of turtles, specifically freshwater turtles, have the ability to absorb oxygen through their cloaca, which is a type of all-purpose cavity found in many vertebrates and invertebrates. This is the second reason turtles can hold their breath underwater for extended periods of time.

Due to their cloaca’s ability to absorb oxygen, they are technically not required to breathe for their oxygen requirements.

Finally, the presence of external nares above the mouth of turtles is the third reason they can hold their breath for such a lengthy period of time. Because their nares are located above their mouths, the turtles do not have to come above the surface to breathe in order to survive.

Simply put, they come straight up to it and expose their nares to the surrounding air. As a result, the turtle is breathing, despite the fact that it appears to be holding its breath.

Turtles’ ability to hold their breath for an extended period of time

Let’s speak about how long turtles can hold their breath for a minute or two. The exact length of the turtle is determined by the turtle’s age, variety, and overall health.

Babies and elderly turtles, on the whole, are unable to maintain their air pressure for as long as healthy mature turtles.

In addition, sea turtles are reported to be able to hold their breath for significantly longer periods of time than their freshwater counterparts.

The turtle’s activity level and amount of rest have an impact on how long it can hold its breath.

Swimming underwater can present the turtle with three distinct scenarios:

sleeping underwater, moving underwater, and hibernating beneath the surface of the water.

While sleeping underwater, it is necessary to hold one’s breath.

The metabolic rate of a turtle or any other animal slows down when it is asleep or resting. As a result, when the turtle is asleep, it needs to breathe less frequently than when awake.

Freshwater turtles are capable of holding their breath for a little more than an hour when they are sleeping underwater.

When sea turtles are asleep, they have the ability to stay underwater for even longer periods of time. The majority of sea turtles are able to sleep underwater for four to seven hours without needing to come up for oxygen.

Swimming or moving underwater while holding one’s breath is dangerous.

Because its body functions are completely utilized when the turtle is moving, it must come up for air more frequently when it is moving.

Some species can only hold their breath for 30 minutes or so, however many freshwater variations can hold their breath for up to 45 minutes or even longer in some cases.

Sea turtles have the ability to hold their breath for far longer periods of time.

For a sea turtle can hold its breath underwater for an extended period of time, the record is slightly more than 7 hours. The leatherback sea turtle holds the world record for this feat.

When given the option, the vast majority of turtles will refrain from pushing their limits.

Instead, most turtles like to dive, swim for five minutes below, and then surface for a few seconds to catch their breath before diving again. This just allows the turtle to breathe more leisurely and swim at its own pace, despite the fact that it is capable of holding its breath for far longer periods of time.

While hibernating, can Turtles hold breath?

Many people are unaware that turtles, like bears and other animals, hibernate throughout the winter months.

Some turtles, particularly those living in northern regions, hibernate underwater throughout the winter months.

The metabolic rate of the turtle decreases throughout the hibernation process, which means that the turtle requires less food and oxygen to survive.

With the use of their cloaca, turtles may hibernate underwater for up to several months at a time. Because the cloaca has the ability to absorb oxygen, turtles can stay underwater for longer periods of time, as we learned above.

Cloacas are typically used as pumps, which means that they evacuate water while simultaneously absorbing oxygen.

The length of time a turtle can remain in hibernation varies depending on the species, though most are capable of hibernating underwater for several months at a time.

Why do sea turtles have the ability to stay underwater for longer periods of time than other turtles?

Scientists have dedicated a significant amount of work to studying sea turtles’ ability to maintain their air supply underwater.

Sea turtles, like all other turtles on the earth, are unable to breathe underwater and hence require air to exist.

Despite this, this species thrives in dangerous waters.

There are several reasons why sea turtles can stay underwater for longer lengths of time than other turtle species.

The most important is that their biology is different. As part of their evolutionary adaptation, sea turtles’ metabolic rate lowers when they hold their breath, allowing them to preserve energy and remain underwater for extended periods of time.

Sea turtles, like freshwater turtles, do not try to exert too much pressure on their own bodies.

For the most part, turtles will stay underwater for five to 10 minutes before returning to the surface for a few seconds of air. They will need to come up for air more frequently if they are anxious or engaged in more physical activity.

What is the maximum amount of time my turtle can stay underwater?

Most likely, if you’re reading this, you own a turtle and want to know how long your turtle can survive without oxygen while underwater.

Freshwater versions that are maintained as pets can hold their breath for 30 to 45 minutes while in motion, depending on the species.

Nonetheless, most turtles will not stay underwater for such an extended period of time unless absolutely necessary.

Turtle-Friendly Beaches Around the World

The world is full of beaches that are not safe for sea turtles. In order to help the endangered species, we have created a list of the best beaches around the world where sea turtles can visit.

The list contains the best beaches for sea turtles and also includes other details about each beach such as their location, facilities, accessibility, and more.

Sea turtle populations are declining due to human activities such as pollution and habitat destruction.

The United Nations has recognized sea turtles as an endangered species with a global population of just over 100,000 individuals.

Concluding Remarks

The length of time a turtle can hold its breath varies depending on its age and the species of turtle.

When moving, the average time is between 30 minutes and 45 minutes, and when resting, the average period is one hour. Of course, because of their cloaca, hibernating turtles may survive even longer periods of time underwater.

If you find that your turtle has been submerged for an extended period of time, it is either hibernating or has drowned.

Despite the fact that turtles are excellent swimmers, they are susceptible to drowning since they require air to breathe.

Fortunately, your turtle will most likely recognize its own limitations and will come up for air more frequently than is necessary, so you won’t have to be concerned about it drowning if you supply it with the correct environment.

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