Natural History- Dimondback terrapin

This gorgeous creature was found during a field tip to the South Carolina Aquarium- our guide picked him out of the water habitat set up for this turtles species as well as other aquatic species on display in the outdoor area. The scientific name for this guy is the Malaclemys terrapin and it gets its common name from the characteristic ridges found down the center line of its carapace. Additionally you can identify one of these from the leopard print like spotting on its skin. Its habitat is aquatic- typically brackish waters around the south eastern US. Its adaptations to its aquatic environment are clear with its webbed feet and they can also tell the difference between salinity levels in water to maintain their water balance- quite related to lecture!

The animal was about 7-8 inches long I would say and because of this size I would most likely guess it is a female as these specie are sexually dimorphic with females on the larger end and males on the smaller (usually around 5 inches). I would also say it is in its adult phase because of this size as well. I was in awe of this animal and its ability to gracefully guide through the water with many other Dimondback Terrapins. When placed back into the water this turtle swam over to a group of others of the same species and they were trying to crawl their way back up though a small waterfall in this display area. I thought it quite peculiar as I did not know these animals would congregate together like this. These animals are also quite unique as they have a very large geographical range for a turtle belonging to the Emydidae family. They can exist in salt water and fresh water environments, so I wonder what the salinity in this water is?