Diamond terrapin turtle reptile malaclemys terrapin

Terrapins are a group of several species of small

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

(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 estuari ...

water. Terrapins do not form a

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : 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 name and ...

omic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae. 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 or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of terrapin native to the Brackish water, brackish coastal tidal marshes of the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, as well as in Bermuda ...

'' (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 freshwater species of Testudines in the English language.Farlex Trivia Dictionary 2012. Cited in https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Testudine

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 The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of terrapin native to the Brackish water, brackish coastal tidal marshes of the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, as well as in Bermuda ...

or just "terrapin", ''Malaclemys terrapin'', a testudine of the family Emydidae, native to North America and Bermuda. * European pond terrapin 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, 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 The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the Family (biology), family Emydidae. Native to the southern United States ...

, or red-eared terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta elegans'', a subspecies of pond slider 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. * Swamp terrapin or West African mud turtle, ''Pelusios castaneus'', a species of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae that is endemic to West and Central Africa. * 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 or Caspian turtle, ''Mauremys caspica'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae (Bataguridae), native to the eastern Mediterranean region. * Yellow-bellied slider 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