Conservation status
Vulnerable
LIFE SPAN
25-40 years
Scientific Name
Malaclemys terrapin
Native habitat
Diamondback terrapins inhabit saltwater habitats, including brackish channels, lagoons, tidal flats, marshes, estuarine areas, and coastlines.
Diet
Snails, other mollusks, crustaceans, fish, insects, and carrion
The Diamondback Terrapin
aka The Beauty Queen
This gem of a turtle lives in the brackish waters of North America from Massachusetts to Texas. Because of its extraordinary taste, the Beauty Queen was hunted intensively. Nowadays, there are seven subspecies, which ranges partially overlap. The females at Turtle Island bury up to four clutches of eggs per year, luckily providing numerous offspring.
