Diamondback terrapins are a keystone species that live in coastal marshes from Corpus Christi to Cape Cod. In many parts of their range they are endangered and declining. New York City’s Jamaica Bay contains the largest terrapin population in the Northeast. Since 1998 Russell Burke has run a citizen-scientist laboratory project that focuses on the ecology, conservation, and evolution of this population. Burke, a professor of biology at Hofstra University, observes that “contrary to studies elsewhere, Jamaica Bay terrapins’ diets vary dramatically from year to year, and often contain large amounts of algae, a result of pollution in the bay.” Raccoons and plant roots predate over 95% of the eggs, and in drought years all eggs die due to desiccation. Hatchlings leave the nest in the fall and bury themselves upland to over-winter. Burke’s long-term data show that average clutch size and egg size have increased over the years, but the number of clutches laid has declined by more than half. Burke adds, “And then there are the JFK Airport terrapins…”
