Recreational Boats and Turtles: Behavioral Mismatches Result in High Rates of Injury
Figure 1
Anthropogenic injuries to diamondback terrapins.
Diamondback terrapins were classified as having an anthropogenic injury if damage occurred to two or more vertebral or costal scutes (A), two or more plastral scutes (B), and/or three or more marginal scutes. Photo A shows a female terrapin with an anthropogenic injury to two vertebral and two costal scutes whereas photo B shows an anthropogenic injury to two plastral scutes. Many injured terrapins also had missing limbs (C), tail, or head (D) injuries. Photo C shows a terrapin missing its front left limb which could be due to a boat injury or a predator. In photo D, the terrapin has an anthropogenic injury to its beak and anterior plastron. This injury was assumed to be from a boat because it appeared to be a slash from a propeller that occurred from the plastron through the beak to the anterior carapace. Anthropogenic injury rates are likely an underestimate of the actual number of terrapins hit by boats and automobiles because many of these injuries lead to mortality.