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CCSS: 3.MD.C.7.B
TEKS: 3.6C
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Big Help for Tiny Turtles
Volunteers save thousands of hatchlings to aid a species in trouble
Courtesy of Steve Ahern
Volunteers safely transport terrapin babies from nesting areas to their marsh homes.
Every summer, diamond-back terrapin mothers leave the safety of their marshy homes for a dangerous journey. They must travel to beaches to lay eggs. They face obstacles like busy roads and open storm drains. Then, after 8 to 12 weeks, the hatchlings must deal with the same dangers to get back tothe marsh.
Diamondback terrapins live along the east coast of the United States. As the human population has boomed, the terrapin population has shrunk. In 2018, diamondbacks were listed as a threatened species.
Every summer, diamondback terrapin mothers leave the safety of their marshy homes for a dangerous journey. They must travel to beaches to lay eggs. They face obstacles like busy roads and open storm drains. Then, after 8 to 12 weeks, the hatchlings must deal with the same dangers to get back to the marsh.
Susan and Steve Ahern were already on the case. In 2009, they had founded the Sea Isle Terrapin Rescue in Sea Isle City, New Jersey.
Their volunteers rescue hatchlings that fall into storm drains. They put up fencing on roads and patrol streets to help turtles cross safely. The volunteers also build nesting boxes so the turtles have a safe place to lay their eggs.
In 2021, these boxes provided protection for 365 terrapin babies. Steve estimates that his organization has helped more than 3,000 diamondback terrapins over the past 10 years!
Turtle Titles
Turtles, tortoises, and terrapins are all reptiles with bony shells, scales, and lungs that breathe air. All are cold-blooded and lay their eggs on land.
Shutterstock.com
Turtles
Turtles spend most of their lives in water. They have flat shells and flippers for swimming.
Tortoises
Tortoises live on land. They have round shells and stumpy legs for walking.
Terrapins
These smaller critters live both on land and in water. They have webbed feet and claws.
How would you decide where to place terrapin nesting boxes? Explain using math terms.
What to Do
Area is the amount of space taken up by a flat surface or 2-D figure. For squares and rectangles, you can find the area by multiplying the length of the shape by its width. We measure area in square units.
Example
Find the area of a rectangle that measures 3 inches wide and 5 inches long.
• Draw a model of the rectangle and label its sides.
• Next, use the area formula to find the area.
Area = length × width
Area = 5 inches × 3 inches = 15 square inches
So the area is 15 square inches, or 15 in.²
Now You Try It
Use your knowledge of area to answer the questions.
A. Say volunteers build a terrapin nesting box with a base that’s 3 inches wide and 9 inches long. Label these dimensions on the diagram of the box below.
B. What is the area of this nesting box base?
A volunteer sketches a plan for a nesting box that will be placed at a local beach. The new nesting box will have a base that is 12 inches long and 5 inches wide.
What will be the area of the new nesting box’s base?
Below are the bases of two nesting boxes. Box 1 is 7 feet long and 3 feet wide. Box 2 is 3 feet greater in length and 1 foot shorter in width than Box 1.
Which nesting box base has the greater area? By how much?
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