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Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemmys terrapin)

Junior Zoologists For three weeks every summer, middle schoolers at the Philadelphia Zoo learn about careers in zoology. Part of their work includes participation in The Terrapin Project headed by Dr. Roger Wood. The Junior Zoologists learn about diamondback terrapins, take care of the hatchlings, and prepare the yearlings for release. During the three week camp, the students learn how to make and record their observation of the terrapins. These observations become part of The Terrapin Project records. The camp ends with the Junior Zoologists helping to release the terrapins over-wintered at the zoo.

by Pat Delaney Tortuga de Dorso de Diamante en Español This page is also available in Spanish. Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemmys terrapin) are a species of turtle that get their name from the beautiful diamond pattern of rings and ridges on their shell. They are found along the Atlantic Coast of the US, from Massachusetts to Florida and along the Gulf Coast to Texas. Diamondback terrapins spend their entire lives in the brackish water of salt marshes. Only the females come to shore to lay their eggs. Every summer, in June and July, female terrapins dig holes in the sand dunes of barrier islands and lay their eggs. While this behavior has been unchanged for millions of years, the nesting grounds have changed. A barrier island is really a large sand bar that forms parallel to the coast line. Stabilized by all types of maritime vegetation, these islands support numerous birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The barrier islands also happen to be prime vacation spots. It is people's tendency to level sand dunes and build motels, condominiums, houses, and roads that has interfered with the female terrapin's job of laying eggs. As a result, thousands of female terrapins are killed by cars as they cross roads looking for nesting areas. What can anyone do in the face of development pressure and the predictable outcome of automobile versus terrapin? Dr. Roger Wood, a Biology Professor at Richard Stockton State College in Southern New Jersey has done something. The Terrapin Project began in 1989, under Dr. Wood, to document the number of terrapin road kills. There was no existing data before the project, but Dr. Wood witnessed the grisly results daily on the roads leading to and from the Barrier Islands and salt marshes where he lives and works. He knew that the numbers had to be high. The first summer Wood discovered that many of the road kill victims still held viable (living) eggs. Terrapin carcasses were recovered every morning by Dr. Wood and his volunteers. The surviving, undamaged eggs were removed and placed in incubators. About 60 days later, many of them hatched. The tiny, baby terrapins were then taken to the salt marshes and released. To everyone's horror, the tiny terrapins became "potato chips" swallowed whole by hungry gulls. Dr. Wood knew that there had to be a better way. The next summer a new plan was tried. The viable eggs were gathered and incubated as before, but they were not released until the next spring. Since the young terrapins did not have to hibernate and were fed a special diet, they were larger than they would have been if hatched and over-wintered in the wild. Since then, 200 to 400 baby terrapins have over-wintered in special tanks at Richard Stockton State College and The Philadelphia Zoo.

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c/o Wildlife Trust
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