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In Search of... East Coast Diamondback Terrapins. Daytona Beach to Melbourne part 3 |
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I wish I could say I found these very tiny needles in the giant habitat haystack, but I didn't. Julia P. rescued these from a swimming pool and contacted me. Thanks to her and her family I can share these pictures with you. There was a difference in size, that isn't obvious in this view, that may mean one was from a larger egg, or they are from two different clutches. They were found together though. |
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Not to be confusing, the turtle on the right above is the one on the left below. Getting these to stay still long enough for a good picture was out of the question. |
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Fortune favors the relentless. I spotted a terrapin head right after I put the kayak in, but was unable to find the turtle in the deep murky water of the channel. After hours of paddling and seeing nothing I was wishing I had gotten a picture of that head. Then I actually dozed off and drifted for a few minutes. When I woke up I started to make my way back to my car and lo and behold- I spotted a terrapin head. More were to follow. This girl has two split vertebral scutes on her barnacle-free carapace. |
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Her plastron was a different story. |
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Each one was quite different. |
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Like this white skinned female that was loaded with barnacles on the front and back of her carapace. |
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Some of which seemed a real hinderance. |
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There were even more on her plastron, but they were dead and her scutes were shedding. With a little help she cleaned up nice. |
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And, unlike my time in the Gulf, I found two sub-adults like this gorgeous girl. |
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And this little girl. |
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Unfortunately, Mother Nature put the kibosh on the day. I made it back to the dock before the lightning, but not before the rain. I will eventually make the trek again get more pictures, like hopefully one of a male, but at least I finally have something to show. |
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Also check out... In Search of Ornate Diamondback Terrapins In Search of Carolina Diamondback Terrapin And these related links http://www.baysoundings.com/sum03/terrapin.html |
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