Baby turtles can survive in frozen soil. Beth Tyler 05.25.01 Most baby turtles leave their underground nests in the summer or fall. Baby painted turtles (Chrysemys picta, however, stay in their underground nests through the winter and come out in the spring. In the winter, the ground freezes and somehow the baby painted turtles stay alive in the frozen earth. How do these turtles stay alive through the cold winter?     Scientists created turtle nests in the laboratory like the ones in the field. Also as in the field, they lowered the temperature gradually to the lowest temperature experienced by the turtles. They found several features of the turtle that allowed it to withstand freezing temperatures. First, ice cannot get through the turtle shell. The other exposed areas of the turtle, its head, arms and legs, have a special layer of skin that ice cannot get through. Other species of turtles do not have this layer of skin. Even though the baby painted turtle is surrounded by ice, the ice cannot get through its skin or shell and its body stays unfrozen.   Packard, Gary C., and Mary J. Packard. 2001. The overwintering strategy of hatchling painted turtles, or how to survive in the cold without freezing. BioScience 51(3):199-207. ©2001 The Aurora Collection, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Site Development by: Interactive Multimedia. Inc.