Delaware State Reptile
Diamondback Terrapin (common name) Malaclemys terrapin (scientific name) Overview The diamondback terrapin, formerly valued for its meat, lives in brackish coastal waters from Cape Cod south to Florida and west to Texas, but in many areas its numbers are low. Few young turtles survive to maturity. Though humans no longer hunt them regularly, young turtles are a favorite food source for many animals. While diamondback terrapins can only live in moderately salty water, their appearance and behavior are more similar to freshwater turtles.  Close-up STATUS Unofficial ALSO KNOWN AS Terrapin PHYSICAL DETAILS The turtle’s name comes from its diamond-patterned shell, even though there is a great deal of variation in color and pattern. Generally, this shell ranges from brown to gray; its body might be brown, gray, yellow, or white. Each back plate has concentric rings and darker and lighter markings. The middle of each plate is sometimes a bit raised, and color differs from the plate’s overall shade. The turtle has dark, irregular markings on its head and body. Its back legs are large, and its feet have webbed toes. This turtle has a wide, horny covering with upturned corners over the nose area. Specimens from regions that are consistently warmer in temperature tend to be larger than those from cooler, more northern areas. Females are also generally larger than males. Newly hatched turtles normally have knobs that run down the middles of their backs.    Males Females Size average length 5 in (12.7 cm) average length 7.5 in (19 cm); largest over 9 in (23 cm) Weight     LIFESPAN Up to 40 years. HABITAT Brackish waters including marshes, tidal creeks, bays, lagoons, and mangrove swamps. Range: U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to Texas. Conservation Status: This turtle was hunted to near extinction by the early 1900s. It is considered endangered in Rhode Island, threatened in Massachusetts, and a species of concern in Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. Populations are widespread and mostly healthy. BEHAVIOR Diamondback terrapins mate early in springtime. Females build nests in sandy areas in early summer, and eggs hatch in early fall. Only between one and three percent of eggs laid produce offspring. A young turtle’s gender is determined by the temperature at which it was incubated. Hatchlings emerge small with soft shells, so they are a common food source for birds, fish, crabs, and mammals, which means that only a few survive to maturity. Most hatchlings make their way to the closest water source, but once in a while young turtles overwinter in the nest. Males are mature when they are two to three years old, and females when they are six to seven. Terrapins prefer to be active in the daytime in March through December, but can be active all year in warm places. Those that hibernate burrow in mud to do so. In warm weather, these turtles like to bask and often do so on oyster bars exposed at low tide. DIET Mollusks, especially periwinkles, fiddler crabs, and some small fish. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Hatching period: August-October Average nest size: 5–12 eggs Size at birth: 0.75–1.18 in (2–3 cm) TRIVIA This species, once considered a culinary delicacy, was hunted almost to extinction. This turtle was adopted as the official mascot of the University of Maryland in 1932 and the official reptile of the state of Maryland in 1994. On July 8, 2009, 78 diamondback terrapins crossing a runway at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York caused a runway shutdown and flight delays. The turtles were removed and released back into the wild.
	Click to enlarge an image Diamondback Terrapin Illustration of Diamondback Terrapin Juvenile Diamondback Terrapin CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Chelydridae Subfamily: Deirochelyinae Genus: Malaclemys Species: M. terrapin
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press