Have you met the Diamondback Terrapin?

 

You may have met the Diamondback Terrapin before, they’re a cute and charismatic turtle that’s beloved up and down the United States East Coast and call Tampa Bay home, too. Mascot of schools big and small – Maryland and Tampa Prep – this creature was nearly wiped out in the early 1900’s and is still facing pressure to survive today.

A diamondback terrapin buried in the sand.

These adorable spotted turtles with multicolored shells live in brackish waters – a mix of salty and fresh water – on our shores. They like mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, burrowing in the sand, and are active during the daytime. They eat snails, crabs, clams, worms, fish, and plants.

Beginning March 1^st we are giving them a better chance as FWC makes it mandatory to install excluder or “bycatch reduction devices” devices on crab traps in Florida, or to ensure the trap itself has a rigid funnel opening no larger than 2” x 6”. What’s a bycatch reduction device? It’s a plastic piece to attach to the opening of a crab trap that is 2”x6” and keeps terrapins out of traps.

An example of a bycatch reduction device on a crab trap.

Despite their amazing ability to swim and hold their breath, terrapins often become “bycatch” or accidentally trapped in crab traps. They can be injured or die in these traps if they aren’t caught and removed in time. The traps pose a significant threat to terrapins and excluder devices were recommended but optional before. Hopefully making them mandatory will help Terrapins thrive in the future.

Other threats Diamondback terrapins face include habitat loss due to homes and businesses being built on their shoreline dwellings, roads leading to habitat fragmentation, boat collision, and poaching for the pet trade.

An injured diamondback terrapin ready for release back into the wild.

Injured terrapins are rehabbed and released with help from Owls Nest Sanctuary and the staff at Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park. 

This law follows recent law changes in keeping of Diamondback terrapins. Once you could find them in the wild and take them home as pets, but as of 2022 that is no longer allowed, and permits are also required for their keeping.

If you would like to see Diamondback terrapins up close, you can meet them at the Nature Center of Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park where they enjoy indoor and outdoor enclosures. Their beautiful spots and bright personalities make them easy to love and want to protect into the future.

A baby Diamondback Terrapin at Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park