Diamond terrapin turtle reptile malaclemys terrapin

Terrapins are one of several small species of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

(order Testudines) living in fresh or

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...

water. Terrapins do not form a

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

omic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and

Emydidae Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...

. The name "terrapin" is derived from ', a word in an Algonquian language"Terrapin"
''www.merriam-webster.com'', accessed 9 November 2021 that referred to the species '' Malaclemys terrapin'' (the Diamondback terrapin). It appears that the term became part of common usage during the colonial era of North America and was carried back to Great Britain. Since then, it has been used in common names for testudines in the English language.

Species

Testudine species with "terrapin" in their common English-language names include: * Bengal eyed terrapin, Burmese eyed turtle or Burmese peacock turtle, ''Morenia ocellata'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in Burma and possibly Yunnan, China. * Diamondback terrapin or just "terrapin", ''Malaclemys terrapin'', a testudine of the family Emydidae, native to North America and Bermuda. *

European pond terrapin The European pond turtle (''Emys orbicularis''), also called commonly the European pond terrapin and the European pond tortoise, is a species of long-living freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Western Palearct ...

or European pond turtle, ''Emys orbicularis'', a testudine in the family Emydidae found in Central Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa. *

Indian pond terrapin The Indian black turtle (''Melanochelys trijuga'') or Indian pond terrapin is a species of medium-sized freshwater turtle found in South Asia. Description Despite its name, the color of its upper shell or carapace can vary from reddish to dark ...

, or Indian black turtle, ''Melanochelys trijuga'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in South Asia. * Mexican spotted terrapin or Mexican spotted wood turtle, ''Rhinoclemmys rubida'', a species of testudine in the family Geoemydidae, endemic to Mexico. * Northern river terrapin, ''Batagur baska'', a critically endangered testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. * Painted terrapin, ''Batagur borneoensis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. * Red-eared slider, or red-eared terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta elegans'', a subspecies of

pond slider The pond slider (''Trachemys scripta'') is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described, the most recognizable of which is the red-eared slider (''T. s. elegans''), which is popular in the pet trade and ha ...

in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. It is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places. * Serrated hinged terrapin, ''Pelusios sinuatus'', is a species of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae found in southern Africa. * Seychelles black terrapin, ''Pelusios seychellensis'', an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae that was endemic to the Seychelles. * Smiling terrapin or black marsh turtle, ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Southeast Asia. * Southern river terrapin, ''Batagur affinis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. *

Striped-neck terrapin The Caspian turtle or striped-neck terrapin (''Mauremys caspica'') is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae (=Bataguridae), living in the eastern Mediterranean region from southwestern former USSR and central Iran to Saudi Arabia, Ba ...

or Caspian turtle, ''Mauremys caspica'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae (Bataguridae), native to the eastern Mediterranean region. *

Yellow-bellied slider The yellow-bellied slider (''Trachemys scripta scripta'') is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virg ...

or Yellow-bellied terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta scripta,'' another subspecies of pond slider in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. Like the red-eared slider, it is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places.

References

{{Animal common name Reptile common names Batagur Emys Malaclemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Pelusios Rhinoclemmys Siebenrockiella Trachemys