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Delaware Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. All 17 turtles
  2. Lookalikes
  3. When they are active
  4. How to report
  5. What official sources say
  6. About this list
  7. Sources

DNREC: Eleven species of non-marine turtles are known to occur in Delaware.

This page lists 17 turtles: 12 from DNREC's Amphibians and Reptiles SGCN table + USFWS Bombay Hook NWR Amphibians and Reptiles and 5 named in other official sources. 1 is nonnative. DNREC gives a total of 11; the 17 here are the turtles official sources name one by one.

All 17 turtles

From A to Z.

Atlantic Hawksbill
Photo: cello caruso-turiello · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Atlantic Hawksbill

Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata

Bog Turtle
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons (U.S. federal work, public domain)

Bog Turtle

Glyptemys muhlenbergii

Where in Delaware
Only two known reproducing locations in Delaware DNREC
Conservation
state endangered; federally threatened (northern population); SGCN Tier 1
What the sources say

Habitat: Freshwater wetlands with soft muck and pedestal vegetation (DNREC)

Common Musk Turtle
Photo: Curtis Meyers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Common Musk Turtle

Sternotherus odoratus

185 records by month.
Common Snapping Turtle
Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Size
Upper shell usually 8 to 14 inches, occasionally to nearly 20; usually 10 to 35 lb, occasionally to 75 lb in the wild.
How to recognize it
  • Large head, long tail
  • Saw-toothed scales on the long tail
  • Small, cross-shaped lower shell
181 records by month.
What the sources say

Habitat: Freshwater pools, also brackish and salt water (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Full Common Snapping Turtle guide

Diamondback Terrapin
Photo: Matthew Lumsden · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Diamondback Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin

122 records by month.
What the sources say

Habitat: Salt marsh and brackish water (Bombay Hook NWR) (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Eastern Box Turtle
Photo: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

Size
Small: adult shell usually 4.5 to 6 inches; up to about 7 to 8 inches (Alabama, Virginia).
How to recognize it
  • High, domed upper shell
  • Hinged lower shell that closes the turtle in completely
  • Ridge (keel) down the center of the shell, more obvious in young
46 records by month.

Full Eastern Box Turtle guide

Eastern Mud Turtle
Photo: Jim Moore (Maryland) · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Mud Turtle

Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum

Where in Delaware
Observed mostly along the coast (2018-2023 atlas) DNREC
No confirmed photo of Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle

Chelonia mydas

Conservation
state endangered; SGCN Tier 1
No confirmed photo of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Lepidochelys kempii

Conservation
state endangered; SGCN Tier 1
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Photo: Rabon David, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

Size
Adults 5 to 6 feet long, 750 to 1,000 pounds (NOAA). Texas Parks and Wildlife cites weights up to 1,300 lb and shells up to 8 feet.
How to recognize it
  • The only sea turtle that lacks scales and a hard shell.
  • Front flippers proportionally longer than in other sea turtles; rear flippers paddle-shaped.
  • Usually a pink spot on top of the head that can identify individuals.
Conservation
state endangered; SGCN Tier 1

Full Leatherback Sea Turtle guide

Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Photo: Kristiina Hurme · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Caretta caretta

Size
Adults 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and 200 to 350 pounds (NOAA). NCWRC gives 31 to 45 inches shell length and 170 to 350 pounds; SCDNR says adults can weigh as much as 300 pounds and reach up to four feet in shell length.
How to recognize it
  • Very large head with powerful jaws.
  • Slightly heart-shaped top shell.
  • Two pairs of scales (prefrontal scutes) between the eyes above the nostrils; two claws on each flipper.
Where in Delaware
Delaware Bay and Atlantic; most numerous sea turtle in the bay; nested Fenwick Island 2018 DNREC
Conservation
state endangered; SGCN Tier 1

Full Loggerhead Sea Turtle guide

Northern Red-bellied Cooter
Photo: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Northern Red-bellied Cooter

Pseudemys rubriventris

No confirmed photo of Red-eared Slider

Red-eared Slider

Nonnative

Spotted Turtle
Photo: Nick Block · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Spotted Turtle

Clemmys guttata

What the sources say

Habitat: Wetlands; generally within 500 m of a wetland (DNREC)

No confirmed photo of Striped Mud Turtle

Striped Mud Turtle

Kinosternon baurii

Conservation
SGCN Assessment Priority
Wood Turtle
Photo: Michael Ellis · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Wood Turtle

Glyptemys insculpta

Size
14-20 cm (5.5-8 in)
How to recognize it
  • Lower shell has no hinge
  • Combination of brown shell, orange front limbs and a lower shell solidly fused to the upper shell
  • Males: concave lower shell, long thick tail, broader head

Full Wood Turtle guide

Turtles people confuse

Eastern box turtle or Wood turtle?

Eastern box turtle
Photo: Summit Metro Parks · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern box turtle Not stated

Wood turtle
Photo: Michael Ellis · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Wood turtle Not stated

The wood turtle lacks the high-domed shell and the hinged lower shell.

Wood Turtle or Eastern Box Turtle?

Wood Turtle
Photo: Michael Ellis · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Wood Turtle Not stated

Eastern Box Turtle
Photo: Summit Metro Parks · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern Box Turtle Not stated

Box turtles are smaller and have a hinged lower shell that closes completely.

Loggerhead sea turtle or Leatherback sea turtle?

Loggerhead sea turtle
Photo: Kristiina Hurme · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Loggerhead sea turtle Not stated

Leatherback sea turtle
Photo: Rabon David, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Leatherback sea turtle Not stated

Adult leatherbacks differ from all other sea turtles, including the loggerhead, in their large size, spindle-shaped body and leathery shell without scales.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When turtles are active in Delaware

Records of turtles in Delaware peak in March to June. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars).

2,105 records of turtles in Delaware by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
  • Sea turtles are in Delaware waters June through October. DNREC

How to report

Invasive aquatic species: report to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife by phone, email or the online Invasive Fish Tracker. Invasive terrestrial species: Wildlife Section, 302-739-9912. Sick or dead wildlife (five or more at one place): 302-735-3600 ext. 2. Wildlife damage biologist: 302-735-8683. DNREC

What official sources say

Are there sea turtles in Delaware?

Yes. All five sea turtle species known from Delaware waters visit estuarine and marine waters June through October; nesting is rare (green 2011, loggerhead 2018). DNREC

“Sea turtles visit Delaware’s estuarine and marine waters during the warmer months (June through October).”

About this list

The species list comes from Amphibians and Reptiles SGCN table (2025-2035 DEWAP) + USFWS Bombay Hook NWR Amphibians and Reptiles (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), DEWAP page modified 2025-12-16). 5 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Delaware.

Sources

  1. Delaware's Endangered Species. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). datePublished 2020-05-15, dateModified 2025-04-28; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Amphibians and Reptiles (2025-2035 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan). Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). datePublished 2025-09-09, dateModified 2025-12-16; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “Eleven species of non-marine turtles are known to occur in Delaware.”
    “Sea turtles visit Delaware’s estuarine and marine waters during the warmer months (June through October).”
  3. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Amphibians and Reptiles. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. archived copy, captured July 20, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
  4. Gone Herpin' - DNREC Catalogs Delaware's Reptiles and Amphibians (Outdoor Delaware). Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). published 2020-09-30, modified 2025-07-08; checked November 3, 2026.
  5. Invasive Aquatic Species. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). published 2020-02-11, modified 2025-02-03; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “It is also important to keep an eye out for invasive terrestrial species. They should be reported to the Wildlife Section, at 302-739-9912.”
  6. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.