The Georgia Sea Turtle Center Diamondback Terrapin Conservation Program
Friday, June 5th, 2009By Michelle Kaylor
The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a small to medium sized turtle found in estuaries and salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Cape Cod to Texas. Seven subspecies have been formally described. Malaclemys terrapin centrata, the Carolina diamondback terrapin, ranges from Cape Hatteras to northern Florida and is the subspecies that occurs in Georgia. Adult male terrapins are significantly smaller than females. Courtship and mating take place in March and April and the nesting season occurs from early May until mid July in Georgia. Nesting typically takes place during the day. The general sites selected for nesting by the terrapins are located in areas above the high tide with minimum erosion.
Over the last century, populations of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in coastal Georgia and other parts of their range have been adversely affected by a variety of human activities, such as coastal development, harvest for terrapin stew, drowning in commercial and recreational crab traps, and mortality on roads. Two to three hundred reproductively mature female diamondback terrapins are injured and killed by motor vehicles each year during the nesting season on the Jekyll Island causeway. The causeway is a perfect spot for the terrapins to nest because it is high ground and unlikely to flood. Unfortunately, the terrapins are not aware of the heavy automobile traffic on the causeway when they cross the road.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff and volunteers monitor the Jekyll Island causeway during terrapin nesting season. We record the location of each terrapin found, whether it is healthy, injured or dead. This data has been instrumental in determining hot spots for terrapin crossing and nesting. We will be placing 12 artificial nest mounds in these areas to encourage the terrapins to nest without crossing the road. Through previous studies, we also determined that depredation of terrapin nests by raccoons is very common on the causeway. For this reason, we will be placing specially designed caging on top of the nest mounds that allow the terrapins to enter but keep raccoons out. This technique has proven useful in increasing nesting success in other turtle species, thus we are hopeful that it will reduce the number of terrapins being hit on the causeway.
Injured terrapins are transported to the GSTC for emergency care and rehabilitation. Additionally, eggs are retrieved from both injured and dead terrapins for artificial incubation, hatching and eventual release. Over one hundred terrapins were successfully hatched in 2008 and released to the marsh.
It is our responsibility to SLOW DOWN while driving on the causeway during terrapin nesting season and watch out for crossing terrapins. If you happen to observe a terrapin crossing the road, first make sure it is safe to pull over and get out of the car, then help the terrapin across. Carefully pick the terrapin up and place her off the road in the direction she was traveling. If you find an injured terrapin, take it off the road and call the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at 912-635-4444 as soon as possible.
