Terrapins: A Conservation Story

The northern diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin, is unique: instead of living in salt or freshwater, terrapins thrive in the intermediate salinity of salt marshes, estuaries, and tidal creeks.

Comprised of seven subspecies, diamondback terrapins can be found all along the East Coast, from Cape Cod to Florida and around the Gulf Coast to Texas.

No larger than a dinner plate, terrapins are nonetheless bold aquatic hunters who feed on fish, snails, crabs, and mollusks. On average, male terrapins weigh 0.6-1.3 pounds and are 4-6 inches long, while female terrapins weigh 2.2-4.8 pounds and are 6-11.5 inches long.

Terrapins can be identified by the distinctive black rings on their shell, spotted skin, and long, eel-like necks.

Like most turtles, terrapins are long lived and slow growing, with females taking six to nine years to mature and males taking five to eight years to mature. Terrapins can live twenty to forty years.

Formerly abundant through their range, terrapins were hunted to near extinction in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their precipitous decline was driven by demand for turtle soup; although terrapins had been eaten by indigenous people for centuries, demand skyrocketed after restaurants declared the turtle a delicacy. From 1920 to 1933, Prohibition banned the sale of sherry, a key ingredient for turtle soup, and interest in the dish waned.

Diamondback terrapins are state listed as endangered in Rhode Island and threatened in Massachusetts. By the 1980s, Rhode Island terrapins were limited to a single population in Barrington. This population has been monitored by the Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project since 1990.

Over the past three to four years, however, terrapins have been observed in other parts of the state.

Founded by Doug Rayner and Charlotte Sornberger in 1990, the  Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project  has been monitoring and protecting terrapins for over 30 years. The group is currently run by Pete McCalmont, Kathryn Beauchamp, and Madeleine Linck.

Interns and volunteers provide invaluable help monitoring and protecting the terrapins; in 2023, the group protected 163 nests from predators, their biggest threat.

Nesting season starts in late May to early June, with females emerging from the marsh to find appropriate sandy habitat in the uplands. They will dig a four to eight inch deep nest and lay 10 to 22 eggs. After covering the eggs, the females return to the marsh, their duty complete.

The unguarded nests are highly vulnerable to predation from skunks, raccoons, and coyotes. In order to protect the eggs, conservation staff and volunteers will cover the nest with a wire mesh predator excluder. If the nest is located in an unsafe areas, then the eggs are carefully relocated to a large, common predator excluder.

If all goes well, hatchlings emerge from the nest after 60 to 85 days. As this time approaches, volunteers check on the nests daily and remove the protective barrier in order to free the newborn terrapins. Unlike their parents, hatchlings do not head straight for the marsh, but instead spend their first winter hibernating in the uplands, buried under a thin layer of dirt and leaves.

In addition to protecting nests, the Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project captures, measures, and marks new and returning adult females so that they can monitor the size and health of the population. Terrapins are marked with shallow notches along the edge of their shell, a quick and painless procedure that allows researchers to track terrapins over multiple years – including some females that were first identified in 1990 and are still returning to Barrington in the present day. Terrapins are also given an electronic tag called a PIT tag; over 300 terrapins have been given a PIT tag since 2021.

New terrapins are found each year; although some are older terrapins that had previously gone undetected, most are young females nesting for the first time at six to nine years of age.  

The Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project is not the only group monitoring terrapin populations in Narragansett Bay.

In Rhode Island, the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has been monitoring terrapins since 2020. Equipped with a pair of binoculars, volunteers are sent to designated locations throughout the state to count terrapins. These surveys are repeated 8-9 times each spring and allow researchers to estimate how many terrapins are in Rhode Island and where they are located. This is a key first step to protecting this vulnerable species.

In Massachusetts, the  Taunton River Watershed Alliance  (TRWA) has been monitoring terrapins in the Taunton River since 2016. TRWA's terrapin research is led by Brian Bastarache. Each year, the terrapin team catches terrapins via baited aquatic traps from late June through early August. All terrapins are weighed, measured, photographed, and given a  PIT tag . PIT tags, much like the microchips implanted in cats and dogs, are no larger than a grain of rice, and are inserted with a needle. Each PIT tag contains a unique ID, which can be read with a simple handheld scanner. As of 2023, the group has tagged nearly 400 terrapins.

By marking and catching terrapins in this manner, the group can develop a detailed picture of how far up the river the terrapins are traveling and how that changes year to year. Additionally, they can start tracking movement between populations.

Terrapins are dependent on both saltmarshes and the adjacent uplands where they lay their eggs. In addition to direct threats to these habitats like new construction and sea level rise, efforts to harden coastlines with sea walls and bulkheads prevent terrapins from accessing this critical habitat.

Poaching is an immediate, acute threat that can devastate a local population. Terrapins are a high-demand species in the pet trade, and there have been cases of poachers illegally collecting thousands of turtle hatchlings.

If you see a terrapin in the wild or take a picture, do not share the location on social media.

Terrapin hatchlings are highly vulnerable to predators like skunks, coyotes, and raccoons. Predator populations tend to be higher in areas where they have access to human food and garbage, leading to increased pressure on terrapins. This is why it is so important to never feed wildlife and to properly dispose of food and trash.

Why did the terrapin cross the road? To get to the other side!

Each spring, female terrapins emerge from the saltmarsh to search for a suitable nesting spot in the uplands. Please drive slowly and keep an eye out for crossing terrapins. If you spot a terrapin in the middle of the road and it is safe to do so, please pick them up and carry them to safety in the direction they were headed.

• Volunteer with the  Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project  or  apply for an internship 
• Volunteer with the  RIDEM Fish and Wildlife Volunteer Program 

Due to the threat of poaching, please don't share terrapin locations on social media. You can still help wildlife managers protect terrapins by reporting terrapin sightings to official sources however.

• If you live in Rhode Island, you can download the  Herp Observer app  to submit reptile and amphibian sightings to the RI Department of Environmental Management.
• If you live in Massachusetts, you can report terrapin sightings to the  Taunton River Watershed Alliance 

• If you live in Rhode Island, contact the  Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island  by calling 401-294-6363
• If you live in Massachusetts,  use this map to search for your closest wildlife rehabilitator  

If you observe suspicious behavior such as unmarked traps or individuals with bags poking around in fields or wetlands, call your local wildlife crime hotline. If it is safe to do, try to take photographs that can corroborate your report, such as as the license plate of a car or the serial number on a turtle trap. Always maintain a safe distance and do not confront suspicious people or try to stop them yourself.

•  You Can Help Us Combat Turtle Poaching 
•  How to Report Wildlife Crimes 

• RIDEM Law Enforcement, 1-401-222-3070
• Massachusetts Environmental Police, 1-800-632-8075
• US Fish and Wildlife Service, 1-844-397-8477

 Turtles on the Hill  is a twenty minute documentary about the Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project. It tells the intertwined story of terrapins, the people working to protect them, and the coastal land they share.

•  Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project 
•  Taunton River Watershed Alliance 

•  Diamonds in the Marsh: A Natural History of the Diamondback Terrapin 
•  How you can help turtles 
•  To Catch a Turtle Thief: Blowing the Lid off an International Smuggling Operation