Diamondback terrapins are strong swimmers thanks to their muscular legs and webbed toes. Living in dynamic tidal environments, these adaptations are crucial to their livelihood. Terrapins will secrete excess salt through tear duct glands to remove high concentrations of sodium chloride. This unique adaptation allows these turtles to swim in waters with varying salinities, meaning they can live in fresh and saltwater environments. Burying themselves at the bottom of creeks or other small bodies of water, terrapins can keep themselves warm during the colder parts of the year. When the temperature in the atmosphere increases, the turtles come out to breed, laying anywhere from 4-23 eggs per clutch (National Aquarium). Diamondback terrapins are listed as a Vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3686,"template":"","class_list":["post-1927","species","type-species","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n