Navigating oxygen deprivation: liver transcriptomic responses of the red eared slider turtle to environmental anoxia
For many turtles, life with little-to-no oxygen is a part of their normal life, but a recent study found that members of the genera Trachemys and Chrysemys are able to do this exceptionally well. A turtle entering a period of oxygen deprivation has two methods for survival: extrapulmonary modes of oxygen uptake or a dramatic reduction in its metabolism.
Turtles hailing from these genera were found to be able to survive without oxygen for two weeks at ~16oC and for 12-18 weeks at 3oC. In comparison, mammals can only withstand minutes without oxygen before irreversible damage.
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