VERY INTERESTING: TERRAPINS

on

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Interesting facts about diamondback terrapins



1.What are diamondback terrapins?

While turtles typically live in fresh or marine waters and tortoises live on dry land, terrapins live in the brackish waters of wetlands and coastal environments.

They are able to deal with the salt in the water because they have salt glands near their eyes that flush out extra salt in their bodies, similar to sea turtles.

Diamondback terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin, is the only species in its genus and belongs to the Emydidae family, which includes 50 species in 10 genera.


There are 7 subspecies of diamondback terrapins:

  • northern, M.t.terrapin
  • Carolina, M.t.centrata
  • Texas, M.t.littoralis
  • ornate, M.t.macrospilota
  • Mississippi, M.t.pileata
  • mangrove, M.t.rhizophorarum
  • Eastern Florida, M.t.tequesta

2. Why are they called diamondbacks?

Diamondbacks get their name from the natural pattern that occurs on the scutes (bony plates) of their shell. They are diamond-shaped and filled with concentric circles (like bullseye) that make this an easy species to identify.

3. How big are diamondback terrapins?

This depends on if you’re looking at a male or a female as diamondback terrapins experience sexual dimorphism. Female diamondbacks grow much larger than males, measuring around 19cm in length across their carapace (top shell). The males are slightly smaller at around 13cm.


4 Where do diamondback terrapins live?

As one of the few turtles that can tolerate brackish water, you can find these reptiles in a variety of coastal habitats along the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico of the United States.

Diamondback terrapins have been observed living in salt marshes, wetlands, mangrove swamps, estuaries, lagoons and tidal creeks.

Wherever they live, though, they must have some access to freshwater for drinking. During the winter, they bury themselves in the mud and hibernate until spring.


5 What do diamondback terrapins eat?

Diamondback terrapins will munch down on molluscs, crustaceans, fish, carrion and invertebrates. They use their strong, bony jaws to crush the shells of their prey.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking

Comments

Post a Comment