The heart of a hibernating Painted Turtle may beat as slowly as once every ten to eleven minutes. However, this is a flurry of activity compared to its respiratory rate, which is zero. Painted Turtles can hold their breath for up to five months during winter. Admittedly, a Painted Turtle is barely alive during the depths of winter. Yet, in order to keep its heart beating and maintain its extremely low metabolism, this animal must have energy.
Energy is obtained from stored carbohydrates.
And so the turtles spend the winter months, never breathing, but doing next to nothing and thereby accumulating few toxic metabolic byproducts. At least the chilled water beneath the frozen pond surface protects them from freezing. Freezing would be fatal to most animals, but not the Wood Frog. It regularly freezes solid during winter and thaws out in early spring to hop away to woodland ponds and puddles to mate. Other common amphibians, including Spring Peepers, Gray Tree Frogs, and Upland Chorus Frogs also may freeze and thaw several times during the course of a winter.