Our ponds have remained reasonably full in August and the basking has been easy for our Painted Turtles. But, they often have a counterproductive way of going about it. They need to bask in the sun’s rays to help regulate their temperature, obtain vitamin D, and to kill parasites. Nonetheless, some of them can’t seem to overcome a civic impulse to improve their neighborhood and build two- or three-turtle high condominiums with a water view. In such cases, only the penthouse turtle gets the full sun.
The main scientific theories about this behavior seem to be that it’s competition for the best spot, a turtle social trait, and/or a defensive strategy (more eyes and ears). But, it seems, no one is sure how turtle piling fits into the survival or quality of life of these summer residents.
By the way, a group of turtles is officially called a “bale.” This, reportedly, is because a collection of these compacted and plated reptiles is thought by some to look like a bale, which usually is a closely pressed and visibly bound container of merchandise. To us, one turtle may look like a bale, but a stack of them looks like a shaky pile of bales. (Brooklin, Maine)