Do turtles and tortoises hibernate or brumate?

Actually, both terms are technically correct. Up until the mid 1960’s the term “brumate” did not even exist, and all animals (warm and cold blooded) that went through a winter dormancy period of reduced activity were considered to be in some level of “hibernation”. It was not until 1965 that a Dr. W.W. Mayhew, acting on his own without the support of the scientific community, created a separate term that he used to refer to the winter periods of dormancy exhibited specifically by cold blooded ectotherms. This, he decided would be called “brumation”. The term “hibernation” said Mayhew, would be used more to describe the winter dormancy period of warm blooded animals (endotherms).

Most of the professional scientific community disliked Mayhew’s proposal, calling it “unnecessary jargon” and refused the use of his term. Yet today the term “brumation” has developed some following, mostly among more recent reptile enthusiast.