Discussion

Even after placing the hatchlings in various starting positions, their chosen direction
proved to be consistent, and northeast to northwest were the most popular directions. An
ANOVA test was ran on the data for the fall undisrupted, the winter undisrupted, and the
winter disrupted separately, and all three groups of data had p-values lower than 0.05,
showing that there was a statistical difference between the chosen directions and that
they were not chosen randomly. Overall, northwest was the most popular direction, giving
diamondback terrapins a northwest orientation. A Tukeys post-hoc test was ran and
found the northwest data from the winter-undisrupted trials to be the most distinguished of
all the data (Fig. 7). This shows that older hatchlings that were not influenced by a
disrupted magnetic field were most likely to travel in the northwest direction. However, the
older winter hatchlings also tended to favor the northeast more than they did in the fall. It
is likely that hatchlings prefer to orient themselves northwest because there is more
vegetation and coverage in the western areas of the marsh (away from the shores) and
the hatchlings are showing an instinct to protect themselves. A similar study conducted
confirms this, for this study found that hatchlings orient towards highly vegetated areas
(Coleman, Wibbels, Marion, Roberge, Nelson, and Dindo). As for some of the terrapins
preferring northeast in the winter, this may be due to the fact that the east is where many
of the shores and mudflats are located, therefore showing the hatchlings instinct to travel
to a hibernation zone. As for the disruption of the magnetic field, while statistically the
disruption did cause some differences in the data, the outcome was not as drastic as
expected. Either the magnetic field created was not powerful enough to trigger a
response, or it is likely that terrapins rely more on their instincts for orientation as
opposed to magnetic fields, considering they do not have to travel the lengths that sea
turtles do, thus do not have as big a need for navigation abilities.

Abstract
Northern Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) are a turtle species
native to the East Coast of the United States. They are one of the only turtles in the world
known to live in brackish water estuaries where they play a crucial role as both predators
and prey (Diamondback Terrapin Fact, 2008). Although conservation status varies by
state, New Jersey terrapin populations are suspected to be in decline, and listed as near
threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Malaclemys
terrapin, n.d.). It is known that sea turtles are thought to use magnetic fields to navigate
through the ocean, and it is hypothesized many animals have the ability to use the
earths electromagnetic field as a directional map (Cain, Boles, Wang, and Lohmann).
However, this ability in other animals, especially terrapins, is understudied. Do terrapins
rely on the electromagnetic field for navigation, and can certain manmade structures
such as radio towers disrupt this field, therefore hindering their navigational abilities (if
they have them)? To test this, Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings were placed in an
enclosed basin, placed facing each of the cardinal directions, and the direction they
traveled in from their starting points were recorded. In order to determine if their
navigational abilities could be disrupted, the hatchlings were also placed in a basin with
an electrical circuit running around it that disrupted the magnetic field. The terrapins
statistically favored the northwest direction in both the fall and winter trials, possibly
because they recognize the shore, which is in the northwest direction, as their home and
a place of safety. While the disruption of the magnetic field did have a slight effect on the
terrapins orientation, the effect was not as intense as expected. Estuarine construction
could pose a threat to terrapin hatchlings, knowing they travel northwest, or towards the
shore.

Fig. 1: One of the Northern Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings used in

this study.

Objective: To determine if terrapins have a general orientation and if they rely

on the Earths electromagnetic field for navigation.

Results

Fig. 6: Column graph showing how many times each direction was chosen based on the
hatchlings staring positions in the four cardinal directions for the fall trials without
electromagnetic field disruption . There was an ANOVA p-value of < 0.05, showing a
significant difference between the amount of times each direction was chosen.

Fig. 4: More of the terrapin hatchlings that were used in this study.
Conclusion
Diamondback terrapins tend to orient themselves towards the
northwest direction, possibly because of the abundance of
vegetation and coverage in that region of the marsh. The data
suggests that they rely more on their instincts for their
orientation rather than electromagnetic fields. Knowing that
terrapins travel northwest, the dangers of coastal construction
along marshes becomes an even greater threat to terrapins. It
is important to conserve nesting habitat for a species that is on
the decline, and knowing where these animals prefer to travel
could provide a basis for a more effective and efficient
conservation plan.

Introduction
Northern Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) are a turtle species native to
the East Coast of the United States. One of the only turtles in the world known to live in
brackish water estuaries, these turtles play a crucial role in estuarine ecosystems as the
serve as both predators and prey (Diamondback Terrapin Fact, 2008). Although
conservation status varies by state, diamondback terrapins are currently listed as a game
species in New Jersey, although their population is believed to be declining (Malaclemys
terrapin, n.d.). Terrapins face several threats including predators, loss of estuarine habitat,
crab pots, storm drains, car traffic, harvesting for meat, and boat strikes (Diamondback
terrapin, 2014). It is important to understand the threats that terrapins face, especially
those caused by humans, in order to protect the population.
It is known that sea turtles are thought to use magnetic fields to navigate through
the ocean, and it is hypothesized many animals have the ability to use the earths
electromagnetic field as a directional map (Cain, Boles, Wang, and Lohmann). However, this
ability in other animals, especially terrapins, is understudied. Terrapin hatchlings and
juveniles can be found throughout estuaries, but are thought to spend their first years
upstream and navigate to the marshes as they get older. Females spend most of their lives
in the water, with the exception of coming ashore to nest, while males rarely ever come up to
land with the exception of basking (Park, 2000). Since some females are known to return to
the same nesting site each year, and both genders spend so much time under water, it is
possible that these animals rely on electromagnetic fields to guide them through their
habitat. With coastal construction, it is also possible certain manmade structures could lead
to disruptions in the magnetic field. Manmade structures known to create their own magnetic
fields include TV antennas, radio stations, and telephone and radio towers; all of which can
be found close to estuaries (What are Electromagnetic, 2014). If terrapins do rely on the
electromagnetic field for navigation, it is possible manmade structures could hinder their
navigational abilities.

Fig. 7: A column graph showing how many times each direction was chosen based on
the hatchlings staring positions in the four cardinal directions for the winter trials
without electromagnetic field disruption. There was an ANOVA p-value of < 0.05,
showing a significant difference between the amount of times each direction was
chosen.

Fig. 8: A column graph showing how many times each direction was chosen based
on the hatchlings staring positions in the four cardinal directions for the winter trials
with electromagnetic field disruption. There was an ANOVA p-value of < 0.05,
showing a significant difference between the amount of times each direction was
chosen.

Methodology

Terrapin hatchlings were gathered from nesting sites off of Sedge Island in the Barnegat
Bay, as well as Cedar Run Dock Road. The hatchlings were cared for by students at the
research location.
An opaque basin was set up in an area with low lighting (to prevent direction bias).
In the fall, a sample of terrapin hatchlings (about a month old) were placed in the basin
one by one. Each terrapin was placed down four times (one time per each cardinal
direction to rule out the possibility of bias), and the direction the hatchling headed for
each starting direction was recorded
This same procedure was ran again in the middle of winter with a different set of
hatchlings (now five months old).
To test the hatchlings for electromagnetic field reliance, the opaque basin was modified
to have an electrical circuit running around it. Using the value for the Earths
electromagnetic field, the diameter of the basin, the current of the copper wire chosen,
and an equation for the magnetic field of a current loop, the amount of times the basin
would need to be wrapped to override the Earths magnetic field was calculated.
The basin was wrapped with copper wire 6 times, the wire was held down with electrical
tape, and a battery pack and volt meter were attached to the wire to create a circuit.
The same procedure used to determine directional preference was repeated with the
winter set of hatchlings in the basin with the disrupted magnetic field.

Fig. 5: One of the hatchlings being observed in

the disrupted basin.

Fig. 2: The copper wire that was wrapped around the

basin to create a circuit.

Fig. 3: The volt meter and battery pack that was hooked
up to the wire to create circuit.

References
Cain, Shaun D., Larry C. Boles, John H. Wang, and Kenneth J. Lohmann. "Magnetic Orientation and
Navigation in Marine Turtles, Lobsters, and Molluscs: Concepts and Conundrums." Integrative and
Comparative Biology 45.3 (2005): 539-46. Oxford Journals. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Coleman, Andrew T., Thane Wibbels, Ken Marion, Taylor Roberge, David Nelson, and John Dino. Dispersal
Behavior of Diamond-backed Terrapin Post-hatchlings. Southeastern Naturalist, 2014. PDF.
"Diamondback Terrapin Fact Sheet." Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. State of
Connecticut, Sept. 2008. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"Diamondback Terrapin." National Aquarium. 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"Malaclemys Terrapin." The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of
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Park, Ida. "Malaclemys Terrapin (Diamondback Terrapin)." Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan, 4
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