The Meadowlands Blog

Drivers: Look Out for Terrapins and Other Turtles

 
    This is the time of year when Diamondback Terrapins will be crossing roads, looking for places to nest, so please be careful and look out for turtles when driving along roads near tidal wetlands.
   Above, a Diamondback Terrapin in North Arlington by the Erie Landfill on Thursday afternoon. Below, a seven-inch Snapping Turtle on Disposal Road near the "eternal flame" earlier this week (Snapping Turtle photo by Chris Takacs).

 

Terrapin time

  One of the great things about walking in the Meadowlands is you never know who you'll run into. I encountered this guy on the first day of summer.

  He saw me before I saw him, and froze. That appears to be a major terrapin defense mechanism: Act like part of the scenery until you decide it's time for Plan B.

  In the photo above, it's time for Plan B: Make a run for it.

  For a previous post on diamondback terrapins, including a short video, click here.

                                      -- Jim Wright for NJMC

HACKENSACK RIVER: Terrapins (video)

   This is a great time of year to keep an eye out for diamondback terrapins and other turtles.

   They have been laying eggs for a week or two now, and sunning themselves on the banks of the Hackensack River and nearby marshes at low tide.

   They also go up on land to lay their eggs -- that's how the first image in this 31-second video was captured.

 Diamondback terrapins are amazing reptiles -- they are the only species that has adapted to living in brackish waters. They are a threatened species in New Jersey.

   If you want to see one, you have to be quiet -- they are typically very skittish. In the video, you can see the terrapins scatter as the camera boat quietly and slowly approaches.

   You can also read more about terrapins here.