Turtlesinger, Inc.


is a Federal 501(c)3 Public Charity - New Jersey Charities Registration # CH2998200
Mission Statement: To educate and entertain the public about turtles with original songs and/or live turtles.



March 16, 2026



Helpful Heads



When algae covered the shell, we learned to observe the head and plastron (the bottom of the shell) for identifiable markings for comparison.


If you examine the markings on the heads pictured here, taken on the same dates as the pictures that brought you here, you will see that they are the same, and that is how we identified this as being the same turtle, even though their shells looked completely different.


Being crazy in love with turtles like we are, we warmed to this challenge identifying terrapins. For more pictures of the same terrapin that look completely different,

SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Identifying Injuries



These photos of the same terrapin were easier for us to identify due to her shell injury: the gash line fracture she received on her lower right shell, or carapace.

These photos were taken only a few months apart: the one on the left was taken on June 21st and the one on the right was taken on August 28th.

There are a few more identifying marks like the black “dots” down the spine and a few others: but this certainly looks mostly like 2 different turtles/terrapins!

For more comparison photos, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



A Barnacle!



This small terrapin was pretty easily identifiable due to its clear overlapping lines. The photo on the left was taken on June 10th.


But in the photo of the same terrapin taken on September 30th, look at the barnacle that attached itself to her shell!


We routinely remove barnacles—something we learned to do working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife team removing barnacles from green and hawksbill turtles in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This barnacle was already starting to wedge itself between the scutes—the shell sections—of this little terrapin.


For more adventures in identifying terrapins, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



A Real Cover-Up!



We love the pattern on this terrapin's shell, full of upside-down hearts and crescent moons. The photo on the left was taken on June 21st.


But by August 24th, that pattern was completely covered by algae—EXCEPT for the very top, where you can see the markings match exactly!


For more terrapin comparisons, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Anomalies



One relatively easy way for us to identify terrapins is when their shells reveal anomalies like the one on the left taken on June 21st. The bottommost center scute/section is split horizontally into 2 sections where normally there would be just one.


So, if you look carefully at the same terrapin (photo taken August 24th—2 months later), you can see the same horizontal line/anomaly—easily identifiable even though the pattern has been completely covered with algae.


We love how anomalies help us with the identification process!


For more terrapins, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Anomalies and Injuries



As you can see, this terrapin (photo on the left taken August 1st) has both anomalies AND an injury on the lower left side of its carapace.


Terrapins shed the coverings on their scutes/sections, and you can also see that the terrapin on the left has shed all of its scutes except for the center 3, which still hide the pattern you can see so easily on the other scutes.


The photo of this same terrapin on the right, taken about 2 months later on October 4th, is now covered with algae—but you can see where it shed its scute in the very center of the shell and on the lower right edge of the shell, revealing the shell pattern.


For more terrapin comparisons, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Barnacle Growth



This terrapin looks relatively the same. The photo on the left was taken on August 1st and the photo on the right was taken on August 29th. But we just wanted to show you an example of barnacle growth on this terrapin’s shell. If you look carefully, you can see the little barnacle in the left hand picture that grew much larger in the photo on the right in only a month!


We probably didn’t notice the small barnacle on the left or we would have removed it. Terrapins can sometimes lose barnacles when shedding their scutes or even when scraping against other surfaces—but they can’t always remove them, so we like to help them out.


For more, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



A Healing Comparison



Due to these horrific injuries, this poor terrapin was easy to identify. But look how much healing went on between August 8th, when the left photo of her was taken, and the other photo of her on September 30th! In the right photo you can definitely see, especially with the whiter areas, how her shell is being restored and how it is filling in! The recuperative abilities of these terrapins is nothing short of amazing!


For our next terrapin comparison, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Marks that Make Sense



The left photo was taken on August 10th, and the right was taken on October 1st. We were interested in the 2 whitish marks on her bottom right and center left shell in the right photo: why were they there? These whiter sections filled in places we didn’t notice before. If you look closely at the left photo, you will see the places the whiter marks on the right are filling in and restoring.


For more, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Opposite Effect



In these photos—the left taken August 15th, the right taken October 5th—the opposite situation seems to have taken place. Usually, it seems like the terrapins we catch again later in the season are covered with algae, making it impossible to see their patterns anymore. But in this case she had shed her scutes, revealing an algae-free carapace. Maybe this has something to do with catching her in early October—some of the last days we catch terrapins for the season.


Notice that the notch in the upper right shell edge matches.


For our final terrapin comparison, SCROLL DOWN…



March 16, 2026



Parts of a Pattern



It’s always interesting to see a carapace where some of the scutes have shed, revealing the underlying pattern, and where some have not yet shed. The photo on the left was taken August 15th, the photo on the right was taken October 4th. Notice that the injury on the lower left shell matches.


We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing just a few of the hundreds of utterly fascinating diamondback terrapins we encountered in 2025: thanks as always for reading!





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turtlesinger@hotmail.com | Phone: (609) 205-9248