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A diamondback terrapin with a patterned shell and spotted gray skin walking on grass.
Photo: Ryan Hagerty, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Diamondback Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin

A colorful turtle of coastal salt marshes from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, the only turtle besides sea turtles that lives in brackish water.

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About the Diamondback Terrapin

Diamondback terrapins live along the whole East Coast of North America, the Florida Peninsula and the Gulf Coast, in brackish water that is part fresh and part salty. Besides sea turtles, no other turtle lives in that kind of water. Big heads and strong beaks let them crush shrimp, crabs, clams, oysters and snails. They even hibernate in the mud at the bottom of bays.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Malaclemys terrapin[2]
Diet
Omnivore. Mostly shrimp, crabs, clams, oysters, mussels and snails, plus plants and carrion.[1]
Habitat
Brackish salt marshes and bays.[1]
Where it lives
The East Coast of North America, the Florida Peninsula and the Gulf Coast.[1]
Babies
Females nest on dry land about every other year.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • Besides sea turtles, it's the only turtle that lives in brackish water.[1]
  • Terrapins hibernate in the mud at the bottom of bays.[1]
  • Many nesting terrapins are hit by cars, so drivers near the coast should watch for them.[1]

Vocabulary

brackish
A mix of fresh water and salt water.
salt marsh
A coastal wetland that floods with salty water at high tide.
hibernate
To spend the winter in a deep, inactive sleep.
mollusk
A soft-bodied animal often with a shell, such as a clam or snail.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Diamondback Terrapin.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/diamondback-terrapin/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback Terrapin).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12695/507698 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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