I spotted this really cool-looking turtle on Friday while exploring at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge during a light rainstorm. The turtle does not look like any turtle that I have seen before—its speckled face really grabbed my eye. The turtle was nestled into the thick grass and I did not want to disturb it, so I moved on after grabbing a few quick shots.
When I returned home, I rushed to the Virginia Herpetological Society website to see if I could identify “my” turtle. The Commonwealth of Virginia, in which I live, has 25 species and subspecies of turtle, of which five are sea turtles, so I figured that it would not be very difficult to find a match. I could easily eliminate many species from consideration and finally decided that the turtle looks a bit like some of the photos for a Northern Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin).
However, the map and information about the geographic distribution of the turtle within the state does not appear to include my county or any of the surrounding counties. According to the aforementioned website, the Northern Diamond-backed Terrapin is the only truly estuarine reptile in Virginia and it inhabits coastal, brackish marshes and their tributaries, bays, inlets, and tidal portions of coastal rivers—I was at a small pond adjacent to a larger marshland area. I am still seeking confirmation of my identification from more knowledgeable expert.
Where I live, Terrapins—the species seems to be variously referred to as “diamondback” and “diamond-backed”—is most often associated with the nearby state of Maryland, where the terrapin is the official state reptile and mascot for the University of Maryland College Park.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great photo, Mike. He’s a handsome bugger.
Thanks, Dan. “Handsome” is not an adjective that most people associate with turtles. 🙂
Very nice Turtle Image Mike!
I agree, he is a handsome fellow with that speckled face and gorgeous shell. Nice capture in the wet greenery and a fun find.
Thanks, Ellen. I sometimes enjoy shooting in the rain, if it is only intermittent and the wind is not blowing. My camera is pretty water-resistant, but my lens isn’t, so I had it covered with a plastic newspaper sleeve from the Washington Post. 🙂
Did you know I worked at the University of Maryland in College Park for 34 years,?
GO TERPS!
P.S. My sister often sees Diamondback Terrapins at her place on the Eastern Shore. I’ll send her the picture. She may be able to give you a positive ID. But it looks like a terrapin to me. I wonder how it got there?
Thanks, Nina. It is a bit of a mystery how the terrapin ended up at that location. So many of the waterways in our area are interconnected, so I guess that it physically could have been carried there by the water after our recent heavy rains. Alternatively, someone could have caught it elsewhere and decided to release it. I did send the photo off to the Virginia Herpetological Society and received a reply confirming that it was a Diamondback Terrapin.
Yep, my sister also unofficially confirmed it. (She has them nesting in her driveway and falling into her swimming pool!) She thought maybe it had forgotten to take its GPS. Fun Fact: the student newspaper at UMD is The Diamondback. https://dbknews.com I feel sorry for the little guy (or gal) since s/he is unlikely to find a companion terrapin in Northern Virginia.
I received a reply from the Virginia Herpetological society and they confirmed the identification too and suggested that it had been released or had escaped rather than getting there by a more normal means.
Very distinctive and I especially like the speckled face!