The Diamondback Terrapin inhabits brackish water exclusively and is so named for the diamond-shaped patterns on its carapace. The upper shell can be brown to gray and is distinctive for being wider in the back than it is in the front. The soft body can be gray, brown, yellow, or white and has a distinctive pattern of black spots on the face and neck. Terrapins range in size from 4.5 to 6.75 inches. As an aquatic species, terrapins have large webbed feet and can adapt to surviving in a variety of salinities, including full-strength salt water, for an extended period of time. They live close to the shoreline and do not migrate very far. Females do, however, produce an abundance of offspring: up to three clutches of eggs in the wild per year, numbering from 4 to 22 eggs in each clutch. They are usually laid in sandy dunes near where they live. Terrapins mainly eat crustaceans, including shrimp, mussels, clams, and crabs. They are most threatened by the development of marshy lands in their range.

*Threatened*

Sometimes called a “polka dot” turtle, the Spotted Turtle has yellow spots on its head, neck, legs, and carapace over a black background. The number of yellow spots increases with age. The plastron is yellow and black in color. They live in wet, grassy areas near freshwater ponds and they eat snails, worms, slugs, and spiders. Spotted Turtles measure 3.5 to 5.0 inches, but hatchlings (which are new babies) measure only one inch! Spotted Turtles wander a great distance from their pools in search of nesting areas, and many are killed crossing roadways. They prefer meadows or fields but have been known to dig a nest by the sandy side of a road. By contrast, the Spotted Turtle lays only 3 to 4 eggs at a time. Once the most common turtle in the New York region, its population has been reduced by the loss of habitat and by the widespread use of fertilizers and other toxic pollutants, which destroy water quality.

Baby turtles are called hatchlings. Newborn turtles are very small – often smaller than the size of a quarter – so it is very hard to know where they are while you are walking or doing yard work. Please be careful if you see an active turtle nest. Hatchlings remain by the nest in the first week but then move off to forage. From the time of their hatching, hatchlings are completely independent and never see or interact with either of their parents. If they are bright-eyed, have no apparent injuries, and are active, please leave them alone. Never release a hatchling, they all look similar, text a picture for a quick id health check, so you don't release an aquatic turtle in the woods.

Hatchlings incubate in the ground for approximately 80 days. Do not cover the nest. They usually emerge on a rainy day, if temperatures are not warm enough they may over winter in their nest and emerge next spring.

*State Reptile of NY*

Snapping Turtles live in freshwater ponds and streams. They have muscular soft bodies that are “pebbly” in appearance not unlike the hide of an alligator. Their feet have long talons and their tails have small ridges; the carapace of an adult is marked by a distinctive ridge and has muted colors of yellow and brown. Snapping Turtles can grow large – up to 20 inches in carapace length and up to 35 pounds in weight. They consume both plants and animals and are important aquatic scavengers because they eat carrion (dead animals). Snapping Turtles travel far from their water source to reach new habitats to lay their eggs, driven by food scarcity, overcrowding, or habitat destruction. A single female can lay up to 80 eggs per year. 

Because Snapping Turtles cannot completely withdraw into their shells, they have evolved the ability to snap as a defense mechanism against predators, though they will rarely bite humans. The Snapping Turtle uses its beak-like jaws to ambush and capture prey. DO NOT pick up a Snapping Turtle by its tail, as the tail is an extension of the spinal column and the animal can be permanently injured. PLEASE call Turtle Rescue if you see an injured Snapping Turtle; we are trained to handle Snappers and can make sure that the animal and rescuer remain safe. These turtles eat mostly vegetation and consume their body weight in protein (meat) once a year. Considered a keystone species, they are part of nature's clean-up crew.