Diamond terrapin turtle reptile malaclemys terrapin

Terrapins are one of several small species of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

(order Testudines) living in

fresh Fresh or FRESH may refer to: People *DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist *DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (200 ...

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

water. Terrapins do not form a

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

omic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families

Geoemydidae The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species. The family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Mem ...

and Emydidae. The name "terrapin" is derived from ', a word in an Algonquian language"Terrapin"
''www.merriam-webster.com'', accessed 9 November 2021 that referred to the species ''

Malaclemys terrapin The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the Northeastern and southern United States, and in Bermuda. It belongs to the monotypic genus ''Malaclem ...

'' (the Diamondback terrapin). It appears that the term became part of common usage during the colonial era of North America and was carried back to Great Britain. Since then, it has been used in common names for testudines in the English language.

Species

Testudine species with "terrapin" in their common English-language names include: * Bengal eyed terrapin, Burmese eyed turtle or Burmese peacock turtle, ''Morenia ocellata'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in Burma and possibly Yunnan, China. *

Diamondback terrapin The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the Northeastern and southern United States, and in Bermuda. It belongs to the monotypic genus ''Mal ...

or just "terrapin", ''Malaclemys terrapin'', a testudine of the family Emydidae, native to North America and Bermuda. * European pond terrapin or European pond turtle, ''Emys orbicularis'', a testudine in the family Emydidae found in Central Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa. * Indian pond terrapin, or Indian black turtle, ''Melanochelys trijuga'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in South Asia. * Mexican spotted terrapin or Mexican spotted wood turtle, ''Rhinoclemmys rubida'', a species of testudine in the family Geoemydidae, endemic to Mexico. *

Northern river terrapin The northern river terrapin (''Batagur baska'') is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It is classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN and considered extinct in much of its former range. Description The northern river ter ...

, ''Batagur baska'', a critically endangered testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. *

Painted terrapin The painted terrapin, painted batagur, or saw-jawed turtle (''Batagur borneoensis'') is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was formerly in its own genus, ''Callagur'', but has been reclassified to the genus, '' Batagur''. Distrib ...

, ''Batagur borneoensis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. *

Red-eared slider The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, ...

, or red-eared terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta elegans'', a subspecies of pond slider in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. It is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places. *

Serrated hinged terrapin The serrated hinged terrapin (''Pelusios sinuatus'') is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. The species is native to East Africa and Southern Africa. There are two recognised subspecies. Geographic range ''P. sinuatus'' is found in ...

, ''Pelusios sinuatus'', is a species of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae found in southern Africa. *

Seychelles black terrapin The West African mud turtle (''Pelusios castaneus''), also known as the West African side-necked turtle or swamp terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. ''Pelusios castaneus'' is a freshwater species and is endemic to West a ...

, ''Pelusios seychellensis'', an extinct

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae that was endemic to the Seychelles. *

Smiling terrapin ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'' (commonly known as black marsh turtle, smiling terrapin, and Siamese temple turtle, among others) is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus ''Siebenrock ...

black marsh turtle ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'' (commonly known as black marsh turtle, smiling terrapin, and Siamese temple turtle, among others) is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus '' Siebenroc ...

, ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Southeast Asia. *

Southern river terrapin The southern river terrapin (''Batagur affinis'') is a turtle of the family Geoemydidae found in Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. Subspecies *''Batagur affinis affinis'' *''Batagur affinis edwardmolli'' Decline Many Asian turtles are in dang ...

, ''Batagur affinis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. * Striped-neck terrapin or Caspian turtle, ''Mauremys caspica'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae (Bataguridae), native to the eastern Mediterranean region. *

Yellow-bellied slider The yellow-bellied slider (''Trachemys scripta scripta'') is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virgini ...

or Yellow-bellied terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta scripta,'' another subspecies of pond slider in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. Like the red-eared slider, it is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places.

References

{{Animal common name Reptile common names Batagur Emys Malaclemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Pelusios Rhinoclemmys Siebenrockiella Trachemys