On Tuesday, October 13, Ms. Jagusch and the fourth through eighth grade science students welcomed a baby Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) to the science room. The little “terp” weighs in at only nine grams and is about the size of a half dollar.

Our terrapin is part of a “head start” research program being run by
scientists at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the MD Department of Natural Resources. This program takes eggs collected from Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay and delivers them to around 30 Maryland schools where they spend the winter in the classroom. This prevents the terrapins from hibernating and allows them to grow faster than they would in the wild. The research is trying to determine if the larger head-started terrapins are less vulnerable to predators such as herons and raccoons and therefore have a higher survival rate. During the school year, students will weigh and measure the terrapin at regular intervals and report their data to scientists via the internet.

Stop by to meet this interesting addition to our school!