36
No.
Diamondback Terrapin:
37
No.
Tiny Beach Ambassadors
It was such a fun surprise to find this Atlantic ghost crab on the beach while out for
my morning walk! I have never seen one before and she posed for me while I snapped
away. What a great little Kiawah ambassador!
- Sharon Templin
Flagship Species of the Marsh
by Marilyn Blizard
What is there to love about Kiawah? Why, the diamondback
terrapins, of course! They’re as rare as turtles go, but found in our
marsh waters and even in our backyard, if we’re lucky. My passion
is to alert others of their presence.
How rare? Diamondback terrapins have recently been identitified by the Convention on Trade in International Endangered
Species (CITES) as protected against over-exploitation through international trade. This will restrict the import and export
of terrapins. The Kiwah River Terrapin Working Group, formed in response to the species’ endangerment, is modeled
after the national Working Group for this turtle.
Over 100 enthusiasts have joined the Kiawah River Terrapin Working Group and become Incidental Terrapin Sighters. We
share the newsletters of the Kiawah River Terrapin Working Group and have reported sightings on the Town of Kiawah
Island’s wildlife website numbering 25 in 2012 and 12 in 2013.
If you reside near a marsh, come spring, you should be watchful for young diamondback terrapins hatching in the sandy
patch in your yard. Be alert - these babies are so tiny that a bunch can fit in the palm of your hand. During the summer
months you might spy a female searching for a place to lay eggs. One alert watcher photographed a female diamondback
crossing her driveway.
What can you do to help the diamondback terrapin? For those who set out crab traps in the marsh waters, you can make
sure that your crab trap has been outfitted with a Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD). BRDs are available at the Heron
Park Nature Center (843-768-6001). Become a citizen scientist. Contact Marilyn Blizard ([email protected]) to join
the Kiawah River Working Terrapin Group. Report your diamondback terrapin sightings to the Town of Kiawah Island
Wildlife Biologists ([email protected]).
- Photographs courtesy of Pamela Cohen
Cool Diamondback Terrapin Facts
• They have a typical lifespan of 25 to 40 years.
• They are light brown, gray or black on top with a bottom shell that ranges from yellow to olive in color.
• Their whitish skin is covered with black spots and squiggly marks in a pattern that is unique to each like a fingerprint.
• They are believed to be the only turtle in the world that lives exclusively in brackish water.
• Their preferred nesting sites are sandy, elevated spots of the marsh, with high site fidelity.
• Similar to sea turtles, their offspring’s gender is determined by temperature. A higher nest temperature produces more
females and a lower nest temperature produces more males. Eight to 12 eggs are laid and typical gestation is 60 days.
Number
38
The ever-so-stylish
shell of a calico crab.
- Jennifer Woody