Can Turtles Drown? (How Long Can Turtles Stay Underwater)

Most turtle species spend almost their entire life in water , but they will always come out of the water for air. So why do they spend so much time in water if they need air and can they drown? I decided to do some research on this topic to find out the answer, here is what I found out.

All turtle species can drown regardless of the habitat they are living in. All turtles have two lungs and typically breathe through their noses. A turtle that is trapped underwater will drown within hours. The time they can survive underwater without drowning depends on the temperature and the turtle’s metabolism.

Every turtle can drown if it stays too much under water. This usually happens because they are trapped and can’t reach the surface for air. But the amount turtle’s can safely spend underwater drastically depends on the species and a couple of other factors.

How Long Can Turtles Stay Underwater ?

Some turtle species have evolved in such a way that they are able to spend a lot more time underwater than other species. Some turtle species live in places where there is little to no water, like in the desert, those species will drown in just a couple of minutes if they get into deep water. This is because they haven’t developed in the same ways as turtles that live in places with a lot of water.

However, the time a turtle will be able to spend underwater without drowning depends on the turtle’s body temperature and the rate of the metabolism. When a turtle is in cold water the metabolic rate will get lowered allowing the turtle to survive for longer periods of time. This is why during the winter when turtles hibernate they are able to spend months underwater.

And there are some species that have a gill-like structure that allows them to get little quantities of oxygen while they are underwater, thus allowing them to spend more time without being in danger of drowning.

Here is a list of average times a turtle can spend underwater without drowning:

Box turtle – 1 – 2 minutes
Desert tortoise – 1 – 2 minutes
Snapping turtle – 20 – 30 minutes
Red-eared slider – 20 – 30 minutes
Map turtle – 20 – 30 minutes
Green sea turtle – 7 – 10 hours
Leatherback sea turtle – 7 – 10 hours
Kemp’s ridley – 7 – 10 hours
Olive ridley – 7 – 10 hours

Most land turtles can only last for a couple of minutes underwater without drowning, aquatic turtles that don’t live in the ocean can usually stay around 30 minutes, but there are some species that can also stay underwater for hours. And sea turtles usually can stay for 7 or more hours underwater without any problem.

Even if two turtles belong to the same species it doesn’t mean that they can spend the same amount of time underwater. Just like it does when it comes to humans it varies from individual to individual.

At the moment we only have estimates of the time they can spend underwater because it will be too cruel to drown a turtle just to find out, and when they are in their natural habitat they will most probably not wait until the last minute to get out for oxygen.

Fishes Have Gills Turtles Have Cloaca

I’ve mentioned that some turtles have a gill-like structure in the cloaca that allows them to get small quantities of oxygen when they are underwater.

Cloaca is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive and urinary tract. You can find more information about the cloaca in this article if you want to know more about it.

This respiratory mechanism is most efficient during the cold periods when the metabolism of the turtles is usually very low and very little oxygen is required.

The best display of this mechanism can be seen in the Fitzroy River turtle. The Fitzroy River turtle is able to breathe underwater with the gill-like structure that is located in the cloaca. This species is known only from the single river system, which is full of underwater areas that are highly oxygenated by flowing waters.

How Often Will a Turtle Drown ?

Most turtles will drown when they are trapped underwater by fishing nets or other types of man-made objects. Underwater there are no natural objects that can trap a turtle and let it drown. The only other way a turtle can drown is if it’s cornered by a predator and it’s unable to get to air.

Unfortunately we don’t have an exact number of how many turtles are drowning. But most of them are happening in the oceans due to plastic pollution.

Is My Pet Turtle in Danger of Drowning ?

If your turtle has a way to reach the surface for air, then no. If your turtle has a rock big enough so it can reach the surface, or access to a basking area there is no danger.

So if you don’t want your turtle to be at risk of drowning make sure it has a stable surface on which it can climb to reach the surface. Even if turtles can swim to the surface of the tank to get air, that is not the best solution and it will usually put them at risk.

Why are Turtles Spending so Much Time Underwater ?

So why are turtles spending so much time underwater if they can’t breathe underwater.

This is because this is the way they have evolved. At the moment paleontologists haven’t identified the exact ancestor of the turtle, even if for some time it was believed to be the placodont. But we can assume the reason why turtles spend so much time underwater is because that is the habitat that they found their best chance of survival.

Let’s be fair turtles are very slow on land when you compare them to other animals, and this can be a problem when it comes to defending from predators and catching prey. So by going into water they have access to better defenses from predators, and they also have access to more food sources. And the area around lakes and rivers is also full of small insects that can be eaten by turtles, and the land is usually filled with vegetation that serves as protection and a food source for them.

So, because turtles couldn’t excel on land or in water they chose to combine them. This is just a theory that makes a lot of sense. But there are still turtle species that manage to survive in drier areas, like deserts, those turtles don’t have the capacity to hold their breath for long periods of time like other species and they are unable to swim and will be drawn in just a couple of minutes.

Conclusion

So turtles can drown. But this will usually happen only if there is exterior interference, and most of it comes indirectly from humans. For a long time this danger didn’t exist. That is why turtles choose to spend so much time in water even if they can stay submerged for limited periods of time.

When you get a pet turtle make sure that it has access to a stable surface on which she can spend time outside of the water to get air, otherwise your turtle might end up drowning.

If you have any question about turtles and how long they can spend underwater or anything related to this subject you should ask them in the comment section. I will answer your questions as soon as possible.