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• Conservation Glossary

North America: Diamondback Terrapin Conservation Program

Conservation at a Glance

• Diamondback terrapins, an aquatic turtle species found in the brackish waters along the Eastern and Gulf coasts of the U.S., from Maine to Texas, are threatened by drowning in commercial crab traps and by being hit by motor vehicles when crossing roads to reach nesting sites.
• The Zoo works with the Wetlands Institute (Stone Harbor, New Jersey) to prevent turtle mortality through use of warning signs for motorists and fencing to keep turtles off roads. When turtles are killed on the road, their eggs are rescued and hatched at the Wetlands Institute, and the Zoo helps raise the hatchling turtles and release them the following year when they are larger and have a better chance of survival.
• The Zoo supports research at the Wetlands Institute to monitor released hatchlings and wild terrapin populations.
• Terrapins that swim into commercial crab traps drown there when they can’t find their way back out. Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) attached to crab trap openings prevent terrapins from entering and save lives. The Zoo supports the development and distribution of TEDs to recreational and commercial crabbers.
• Terrapins were almost eaten to extinction in the early 1900’s. This threat was overcome once, but a demand for terrapins as a food item is on the rise again.
• The Zoo works to raise awareness of the perils of over harvesting terrapins and other animals for consumption (bushmeat) and hands out seafood wallet cards as a reference tool to assist with making sustainable seafood choices.