It’s always an exciting day when we welcome a new Wildlife Ambassador! Meet Penn, our newest Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), who recently joined us from the NC State Turtle Rescue Team.
Penn was brought to the Turtle Rescue Team after being struck by a car, leaving him with a fractured shell and a traumatic brain injury. While his shell healed, his brain injury permanently impacted his ability to swim. Because he can't survive in the wild, Penn has found a new home at Piedmont Wildlife Center, where he has a specially designed shallow habitat that allows him to move through the water safely while receiving the care he needs.
If you've met our longtime resident Diamondback Terrapin, Terra, you'll notice Penn looks quite different! Terra is about twice Penn's size. Female Diamondback Terrapins grow much larger than males because their bodies need extra space to produce and carry eggs. Penn also has darker coloring than Terra because of natural genetic variation that makes every Terrapin unique. The "diamondback" in Diamondback Terrapin comes from the beautiful diamond-shaped patterns on the scutes, or scales, of their shells.
Diamondback Terrapins are the only turtles in North America that spend nearly their entire lives in brackish water (a mix of fresh and salt water) along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. Today, they face many threats including habitat loss, road mortality, crab traps, and climate change. Because of these challenges, they are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Penn may not be able to return to the wild, but he has an important new role as a Wildlife Ambassador. By meeting Penn, visitors can discover the amazing adaptations of Diamondback Terrapins and discover how simple actions, like watching for turtles crossing roads and protecting coastal wetlands, makes a big difference for wildlife.
