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Truly aquatic, these diamondback terrapins propel themselves through water with the aid of webbed feet. 322 Causeway Drive, Units 1108 and 1109 Seapath Towers The views from this top floor, totally renovated four-bedroom, four-full-bath condo rival any waterfront view around. Two combined units feature expanded living space and custom decor. Boat slip at adjoining marina available for purchase. $1,300,000 TEE WOODBURY Broker/REALTOR®, GRI 910-617-5561 800-533-1840 twoodbury@intracoastalrealty.com Terrapin Fun Facts Tur·tle n. a water- or land-dwelling reptile of the order Chelonia with the body protected by a bony shell (carapace). Ter·ra·pin n. an aquatic, strictly brackish-water North American turtle of the genus Malaclemys. In the Native American Algonquian language, the word terrapin means turtle. Tor·toise n. a terrestrial turtle, of the family Testudinidae, with thick, scaly limbs and usually a heavy shell. • Fully grown female terrapins reach a shell length of 7-9 inches and may weigh up to 2 pounds; male terrapins seldom reach more than 5½ inches in length. • Diamondback terrapins are the world’s only turtle especially adapted to living in the relatively narrow, brackish-water realm of coastal salt marshes and tidal creeks. • Following rain events, diamondback terrapins have been observed drinking from the thin layer of fresh rainwater that collects on the surface of denser salty water. • The diamondback terrapin is one of about 330 species of living turtles worldwide, compared to nearly 5,800 different kinds of lizards, and 3,400 different snakes, and 25 different crocodiles, including the American alligator. • In early 1920s America, a dozen adult terrapins could bring up to $90, an astounding amount equal to about $1,000 in today’s valuation. • A turtle’s shell is actually its ribcage, which explains why a turtle cannot crawl out of its shell, except in cartoons. • Turtles are the only vertebrate animals with a pelvic girdle located inside its ribcage. • Herpetologists recognize at least seven terrapin subspecies based on differences between the distinct populations found between Cape Cod and the Texas coast. North Carolina is located at the meeting place for two subspecies: Malaclemys terrapin centrata, which ranges from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras; and Malaclemys terrapin terrapin, which roams from Cape Hatteras to Northern Florida. • Diamondback terrapins have an unusually long incubation period of 61-104 days. Volunteers interested in the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve Terrapin Tally to Masonboro Island in May must have access to kayaks or canoes, PFDs and smart phones and must attend a training session at the University of North Carolina Center for Marine Science, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, April 5 or 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 10. To register or inquire, email ncnerr.volunteering@gmail.com 38 WBM march 2014


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