The tubercle turtle [1] , or terrapin [1] ( lat. Malaclemys terrapin ) is a species of freshwater turtle. It lives in the coastal salt marshes of the eastern coast of the United States , from Massachusetts to Texas .
| Tubercle tortoise |
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Female Malaclemys terrapin |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Superfamily : | Land turtles |
| Family: | American freshwater turtles |
| Subfamily : | Deirochelyinae |
| Gender: | Tuberous turtles ( Malaclemys Gray , 1844 ) |
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Malaclemys terrapin Schoepf , 1793 |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 12695 |
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The shell is brown or gray; the skin is gray, brown, yellow or white. The diameter of the shell usually reaches 13 cm in males and 19 cm in females, but larger individuals are also found. Females reach puberty at 8 years old. Eggs are laid in spring or early summer in sand dunes and on beaches. Incubation lasts 60-120 days.
Lumpy turtles feed on mollusks, crabs, small fish, and sometimes marsh vegetation. In turn, skunks, crows, raccoons hunt them.
The Tortoise Turtle is the official reptile of the State of Maryland and the mascot of the University of Maryland .
