Turtle Survey

Our group observed turtle behaviors during different weather conditions.  We wanted to see turtle behaviors on sunny days compared to cloudy days, high humidity compared to low humidity, and rainy days compared to dry days. We found that we saw more turtles basking on hot and humid days, on the days that were cloudy and chilly we saw a lot more turtles swimming.  Our group learned that turtles bask in the sun to get rid of bacteria, we also learned that most turtles aren’t native in Chicago.  Red Eared Sliders were released and started populating in the Midwest area. One of the uncertainties that we had during our project is using the water chemistry.  We realized that it wouldn't help us answer our true inquiry, this was something that slowed us down during our project.  In conclusion, our project helped us realize how important it is to learn about our area, because we can now help and make sure our turtles stay safe.