So recently, out of my interest in rare species of turtles, I came across something that caught my eye while I was visiting an aquarium: an Albino Diamondback Terrapin. It looked like it came straight out of a cartoon book or a video game. Pale yellow shell, redish eyes, almost glowing in the water. It was so beautiful that I couldn’t resist digging deeper into this beautiful reptile. Read this short article to know more about this rarely existing kind of turtle.
What are Diamondback Terrapins?
Let’s first have a look at normal Diamondback Terrapins, otherwise known as Malaclemys Terrapin species. These turtles are already very special. They have attractive natural diamond patterns overall on their shells in different colors, like variations of gray and brown with spotted patterns, which justifies the name. Diamondback terrapins live in brackish waters, which are a mix of fresh and salty you can find in marshes(a type of wetland) and tidal creeks along the United States East and Gulf coasts. And the males are usually medium-sized sized like 5 to 9 inches, but females are a little bit bigger than that.