Among-individual variation in locomotor performance can have important fitness consequences. In turtles, the duration of the righting response, or the time it takes an individual to return to a prone position after being placed on its carapace, is a trait with possible ecological significance. In this study, we quantified righting response time for 21 juvenile snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) at three testing temperatures and for an additional 254 juvenile snapping turtles representing 24 clutches at 30 C, and examined effects of testing temperature, egg size, egg incubation temperature, and clutch identity on among-individual variation in righting response. Righting response times ranged from 1 sec to over 900 sec. Testing temperature and clutch identity affected righting response time, whereas egg incubation temperature and egg mass did not. Righting response time was consistent across individuals and clutches. Our findings suggest that investigators should include clutch as an important variable in behavioral studies of turtles.

Section editor: R. E. Gattern Jr