These animals are ectotherms which means their body temperature adjusts to the temperature of their surrounding environment. A few hours after submerging into the water, their blood oxygen level drops to almost zero and their body temperature becomes around 39°F. Humans will only live in such a condition from 3 to 4 minutes, while some species of turtles live like this for 3 to 4 months.

Turtles get oxygen from the water when it passes their blood vessels and which gets into the vessels through the body. If oxygen is depleted, turtles can switch to anaerobic respiration, which is a form of metabolism that doesn’t require oxygen. But it is dangerous because it can lead to the accumulation of lactic acid and tissue damage. To prevent damage, their skeletons and shells secrete substances like carbonate buffers that can neutralize the buildup of lactic acid. When spring arrives, these amphibians bask in the sun, increasing their metabolic rate and ridding their bodies of acidic byproducts.

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