Colin Carlson
Snapping Turtle Research
I am a second-semester Honors sophomore in EEB, and I work with Tobias Landberg on a research project studying the behavior and morphology of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), based on footage from a Crittercam project. The footage, collected over the summer, was from three turtles: Jawless and Lafayette from Wethersfield Cove, and Snippy from Shenipsit Lake. (see the snapping turtle research team page for the full story on the turtles). Also, for more information on Crittercam itself, visit National Geographic's Crittercam Homepage.
I have analyzed my data gathered on breathing and dive duration, between which I have found a strong relationship, especially for Snippy. These factors of breath and dive duration ultimately go hand in hand (see Fig. 1). I have also statistically tested this fit, and found a strong positive correlation. Note that the order of the breaths is not significant: the fits are equally good for a breath and the preceding dive, and the breath and following dive.
Right now, I've finished analyzing breathing rates for Jawless and Lafayette, as well as my locomotion research with the Snippy data (which means I'm about to start the Jawless/Lafayette data for locomotion). Among the topics I intend to study further during my future research are:
- Locomotion rates
- Interspecific interactions
- Behavioral trends