#diamondback terrapin

[antiqueanimals]

Florida Wildlife; vol. 12, no. 4. September, 1958. Illustration by Wallace Hughes.

Internet Archive

[herpsandbirds]

Northern Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys t. terrapin), hatchlings, family Emydidae, New Jersey, USA

* Diamondback terrapins live in coastal salt marshes along the east coast of the U.S.

Photograph by Garden State Tortoise

[pikaole]

💎 Diamondback terrapin 🐢

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[femtoscooter]

My turtle mug arrived yesterday, with a saddled rabbit friend! Thank you, @claypigeonpottery. It looks fantastic. I am having coffee in it right now.

[randomanimaloftheday]

Day 300#: Diamondback Terrapin

Today's animal of the day is the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)!

Photo credit: National Aquarium

This unique species of semi-aquatic turtle inhabits the brackish tidal marshes along the eastern coast of North America. They have one of the widest ranges of any North American turtle, and can be found from Massachusetts to Texas, as well as on the island of Bermuda. Diamondback terrapins were originally just called terrapins by early European settlers, and were originally the only species of turtle to be called this. The name comes from the Algonquian word torope, which means "edible turtle". This is because for centuries, these turtles were a common food source for many indigenous groups for hundreds of years, as well as for the settlers once they arrived. Eventually, people would start to call many other semi-aquatic turtle species terrapins, so the "diamondback" part was added to their name so people would know if you were referring to this specific species. This came from the diamond-shaped pattern on their carapace, which is the top part of their shells.

Photo credit: JW Shultz

Diamondback terrapins are the only species of turtle to live in brackish water for their entire lives, and because of this, they have several adaptations to help them survive in these salty marshes. Their skin is impermeable to salt, which allows them to survive in full-strength saltwater for extended periods of time. However, they still need to drink freshwater to avoid becoming dehydrated. Luckily, they have the ability to sense the salinity levels of the water they're in and use this ability to locate freshwater to drink. They'll also take advantage of when it rains and will either drink from the top layer of freshwater that accumulates on top of the saltwater or hold their heads above the surface with their mouths open to catch the raindrops. As a last resort, they are also capable of drinking small amounts of saltwater and will use special glands to filter out the excess salt.

Photo credit: Lydia Hansen

Because they're the only brackish water turtle, diamondback terrapins don't really have any competition from other species of turtles. Their diet consists mostly of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and insects. Though occassionally they will also eat algae and other types of aquatic vegetation. They are considered an extremely important species within their ecosystem since they help keep the population of aquatic invertebrates, such as periwinkles, in check, which would otherwise overgraze on important marsh plants. Despite their large range, these terrapins prefer to stay in the same place their whole lives and don't tend to wander. Though, like I said before, they did somehow manage to get all the way to Bermuda, and it does seem like this population arrived there naturally without human intervention. Genetic evidence suggests that this Bermuda population originally came from a group in the Carolinas and likely were carried there by ocean currents somewhere between 500 and 3,000 years ago after they accidentally swam too far out to sea.

Photo credit: J.D. Kleopfer

While these turtles spend most of their time in the water, they still do need to come onto land to bask and to lay their eggs. This usually occurs during the early summer months, and females will bury their eggs in dunes near the shore. Like some other turtle species, female diamondback terrapins will often mate with multiple males and can store excess sperm to fertilize themselves years later. They are even able to store sperm from multiple different males, and the same clutch of eggs will often have multiple different fathers. Eggs hatch after around 60 to 85 days; however, depending on the region, hatchlings may stay in the nest longer in order to hibernate over the winter. Little is known about how the adults hibernate since they probably do so underwater, which makes it hard for scientists to observe.

Photo credit: J.D. Kleopfer

Diamondback terrapins were once almost hunted to extinction during the early 1900s since their "sweet-tasting" meat was considered a delicacy. While turtle meat isn't as commonly eaten as it was in the past, these species are still considered vulnerable due to habitat loss and boat strikes. Crab traps also pose a major threat since turtles often become trapped in them and end up drowning. It's estimated that around 15,000 turtles drown in crab traps every year in just the state of New Jersey. Sadly, while it is illegal to hunt diamondback terrapins in many states, there are no federal laws protecting them.

Photo credit: Jay Fleming

Sorry for posting late again. I've been super busy between work and my personal life. But this is the 300th animal of the day! WOOOOOOO!!! I can't believe I've been doing this for almost a year now.

[rebelbagel]

Diamondback Terappin I rescued from a bunch of young children over the weekend.

[gutloadedstudios]

A sketch saved for later of some Diamondback Terrapins, Mummichogs and Pin Perch to highlight some of the aquatic life of the brackish costal marshes

[morgansram]

Diamondback terrapin