The terrapin or diamondback terrapin is a kind of turtle which lives in the slightly salty coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States. They got the name diamondback terrapin because of the diamond pattern on top of its shell. The species of the terrapin will determine the overall pattern and colour of the shell.
Its shells can be brown to grey and its body can be grey, brown yellow and even white. All the terrapins have wiggly black spots on their body and head.
The female terrapin is larger than the male terrapin. The male terrapin can grow to an average 13.5 centimetres and female terrapin can grow to about 19.5 centimetres if the baby terrapins are cared properly they can grow to 18 centimetres for male and 30 centimetres for female in length. They can live for many years. Terrapins from the warmer places are larger that those from cooler places.
They were once considered a special and expensive dish to eat. Therefore they were hunted aggressively, almost to extinction. Because of this, they are now considered an endangered species.
Since terrapin is a kind of turtle, its shell is flatter than a tortoise. This flat shell helps the terrapin to be a great swimmer. The shell is composed of an outer layer of horn and an inner layer of bone. The outer layer acts as a shield to protect the terrapin. Please do not ever drop a terrapin or step on a terrapin, you may break its shell and kill it! It has a sensitive shell and skin.
The terrapin has no teeth but they have strong beak with a sharp edge. Their front feet are covered with scales which protect them. They have webbed rear feet which help them to move forward in the water. They have a hollow tail.
Terrapins have quite good eyesight, but it gets worse as they grow old. It has a good sense of smell which is a tool of them to hunt for food on land or in the water. Terrapins breathe air. They like to have friends. So, if you ever keep terrapins as a pet, please keep a pair or more. In the wild they live in big numbers.
A terrapin will die when they are on their back because their lungs will be compressed when they are upside down.
Terrapins will eat their food when it is in the water. If they find their favourite food on the land, they will drag the food into the water to eat. I guess they like soggy food! They eat small animals like fish, tadpoles, worms and insects. They will not eat in the cold or in the dark.