Rescued Diamondback Terrapins Coming to SoundWaters in Stamford

SoundWaters, headquartered in Stamford, is expecting delivery Wednesday of 25 diamondback terrapin hatchlings seized when U.S. customs inspectors in Alaska intercepted an illegal shipment reportedly destined for China.

President of Sound Waters Leigh Shemitz said in a statement Monday that a nursery for the baby terrapins has been set up at the Coastal Education Center in Cove Island Park that serves as a learning laboratory for scientific enrichment focused on Long Island Sound. “We have a team of experienced educators who will care for the hatchings. Once grown, students will study these terrapins as part of the hands-on scientific learning experience here at SoundWaters,” Shemitz said.

SoundWaters is the regional leader for environmental education of Long Island Sound, and has a special focus on the diamondback terrapin, with an exhibit and curriculum devoted to the turtles. The diamondback terrapin offers a unique success story for marine conservation. Once ubiquitous in the area (it is the only turtle native to Long Island Sound), the diamondback terrapin became locally extinct for almost a century, due to overfishing — and a high demand for turtle soup.

Regulations to protect the Diamondback Terrapin have led to a resurgence of this unique and vital creature.

As a member of the national Diamondback Terrapin Working Group, SoundWaters has hosted regional meetings and created an in-depth curriculum to teach students about the ecology and conservation of this creature.

Diamondback terrapins are native to the salt marshes and tidal creeks of the sound in a habitat that extends from Cape Cod in Massachusetts to the entire Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions. When hatched, diamondback terrapins are the size of a nickel. The female grows to a foot long, the male half that size. They live for between 25 to 40 years, with a distinctive diamond pattern on the shell; each individual has its own unique markings.

The shipment of 25 rescued creatures will be flown to Westchester County Airport and SoundWaters is part of a cache of more than 70 hatchlings that were moved to the Anchorage Museum after being impounded from a ring of international smugglers.

Shemitz also said, “our job is to protect Long Island Sound through education. Providing a permanent home for rescued diamondback terrapins offers a unique opportunity for protecting these animals after they have been saved from a smuggling ring, and then, once they are grown, using these terrapins for hands-on education, so they next generation can learn about these amazing creatures.”

Contributed photo: Diamondback terrapins are distinctive by the pattern of diamond-shaped rings on the top of the shell.