If you have ever encountered a large map turtle or diamondback terrapin on land and you bent down to pick it up, you know how fast they can be. You may have found yourself trying to run bent over. Speed serves them well most of the time.

Many map turtles and diamondback terrapins are killed on streets and highways during the nesting season. Motorists are often accused of running over them deliberately. What most people don't know is that passing a map turtle or a diamondback terrapin is like passing a squirrel. You just can't know which way they will go and how fast they will do it.

While adults may be too wild to tame, map turtles and diamondback terrapins make good pet turtles when raised from babies.

Map Turtles Graptemys geographica

Empress, adult female  | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 |

Joe, juvenile  | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 |

Freddie, juvenile  | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 |

Northern Diamondback Terrapin Malaclemys t. terrapin

Diamond, juvenile male  | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 |