Liberty Valance and Jeanie Curtis took some amazing photos of a baby Diamondback Terrapin at Mill Creek Marsh on Saturday. Liberty explains:

"We found a baby turtle/terrapin walking on the path…Jeanie almost stepped on it…we pu t it near the shore and it promptly buried itself."

Two more pix — and more info from the NJMC's resident Diamondback Terrapin expert, Brett Bragin — follows. (Thanks, Liberty, Jeanie and Brett!)

Brett Bragin explains:

"It appears to be a hatchling. After hatching, the just emerged terrapins typically hide in the marsh and are not seen until they are much older/larger.

"I suspect that this one hatched last year and overwintered in the nest and emerged shortly before the photos were taken."