Malaclemys terrapin -The Diamondback Terrapin belongs to the Kingdom
Animalia and the Phylum Chorodata.
-The inhabitat salt-marsh estuaries, tidal flats, and lagoons.
-They can be found in ranges from Capecod to Texas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
-Diamondback terrapins feed on a variety of crustaceans, fish, insects, and mollusks.
-Mature females are almost twice the size of mature males, because females have disproportionately larger heads.
-Females also reach maturity at a later age (six years old compared to three years for males)
-They may live for more than 20 years.
-They spend most of their time in the water and only come onto land to bask or lay eggs.
-They breed, in the water, in the early spring. In the late spring and summer, females will lay 4-18 eggs in the sand above the high tide line. |
