Diamondback Terrapins on Kiawah Island, SC

Along with members of the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, members of the Herpetology Lab spent the fall break of October 2012 helping collect data as part of an ongoing long-term study of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) on Kiawah Island, SC. Diamondback terrapins are currently listed as a species of special concern by the state of North Carolina and categorized as a threatened species by the World Conservation Union. Some of the major threats faced by this species include crab pot mortality, road mortality, motorized watercraft, and habitat alteration. As part of this study, terrapins are captured in brackish creeks and then marked, measured, and released. Data from this study has documented and provided invanulable information on the decline of terrapins around Kiawah Island. Click here to learn more about Diamondback Terrapin research on Kiawah Island.

Getting ready to seine

Checking the seine

Showing off a bonnethead

Paul takes a turn with the bonnethead

Part of the day's catch

Processing a terrapin

Going for an afternoon kayak

Dinner after a day in the field

Click here to read about the turtles found in North Carolina