Clarification and correction on the pink skin theory

[Marguerite Whilden]

Clarification: In response to misstatements and/or confusion about our organization, I feel it is necessary to provide clarification. The Terrapin Institute work is strictly non-profit, preservation, conservation, and restoration. We are not associated with any resale or placement operations of wild caught terrapins and I am in no position to confirm anything about the recently advertised terrapin. We fully support our rights to keep turtles as pets, but we cannot endorse the keeping of healthy wild caught adult animals in captivity. We have retained injured wild terrapins for extended periods only to observe the healing process, response to treatment, etc. Terrapins which cannot be released to the wild have been known to survive well in captivity. We refer these inquiries to organizations which specialize in adoption. Our mission and priority work is to preserve our remaining wild populations, protect habitats, and remove the impediments to natural sustainable abundant wild populations. The Terrapin Institute operates a “head-start” program in which schools are permitted to raise hatchlings for a period of eight months. All animals are examined, tagged and released under our supervision at the end of the “head-start” period. We are associated with the University of Maryland and conduct a summer intern program in which students assist with our public education, research, nesting surveys and population assessments. We are in the fifth year of an assessment of the commercial harvest in cooperation with members of the fishing industry. Our operation is open to the public and provides volunteer opportunities. In response to the pink skin theory, I don’t believe it is associated with a pressure change. I see several winter-harvest terrapins with the pink skin. As it was explained to me, the pink appearance is not a response to a change in pressure. In some hibernating water turtle species, oxygen may be absorbed through the skin (and possibly through the cloaca, i.e.Fitzroy River turtle). According to Dr. Zug, herp curator of the Smithsonian, in response to brumation, the turtle’s vascular system migrates towards the skin surface to make the most efficient use of the available ambient oxygen in the water. The pink skin and the occasional prolapsed cloaca found in winter-harvest terrapins may be the result of the rapid shift to air-breathing, affecting the vascular system and/or bursae near the cloaca. Most importantly, very little is known or confirmed of the wild terrapin’s wintering habitats or the long term effects of abrupt disturbances in its seasonal behaviors. I know of only one other study of terrapin winter habits. Most of what we know about wild terrapins is subjective, site specific and/or seasonal. The terrapin displays many different behaviors over its lifetime and throughout its range. Beyond basic life history information, it’s difficult to generalize. This species continues to defy what we thought we knew about turtles. There are no experts yet. In my opinion, the terrapin could be the “deVince Code” of the animal world and we need to preserve abundant wild populations. This list has been a most valuable resource to our work and we hope to reciprocate in any way possible. Depths of 15 feet typically are not considered a pressure gradient. The response to rapid decompression is obvious in some deep-water fishes that are caught on hook and line, i.e. as the fish is brought to the surface, the swim bladder is expelled due to the pressure differential. Fish caught at greater depths and yanked to the surface have no time to decompress. 15 feet in depth may not pose a decompression problem for terrapins. The pinkness or cloaca problems may have more to do with the terrapin’s oxygen uptake system during hibernation rather than a failure to decompress, but this is not confirmed. Marguerite WhildenThe Terrapin InstituteP. O. Box 501Grasonville, MD. 21638410 370 9171410 757 9268

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