Range: Coastal Eastern United States

Habitat: Marsh lands and salt marsh estuaries. 

Natural Diet: Invertebrates and fish

Diet at Rain Forest: Invertebrates and fish

Size: Females much larger than males.  Females may attain a carapace length of 8" males generally not exceeding 5"

Rain Forest Facts: This turtle has highly variable color patterns, arguably one of the prettiest of North American turtles, the Diamondback is an egg layer.  A female Diamondback will deposit up to 8 leathery eggs into a nest excavated on the bank of the pond or stream.  Once a wide ranging animal the Diamondback Terrapin is now declining in the majority of it's former range.  Loss of habitat to human development coupled with the practice of killing this species for turtle soup have led to a massive decrease in the native populations. 

Status in Wild: Significant decline in numbers due to loss of habitat and human consumption, this is the turtle used in most "Turtle Soup"