Female terrapins store sperm and thus can produce fertilized eggs up to four years after mating. Light pink and leathery textured eggs, on average 13, are laid in nests during June and July on shore in sand or loam, then covered. Hatching occurs from August through October depending on temperatures. Once the eggs are in the nest, the female's obligation is complete. When the hatchlings emerge, they are only an inch long and on their own.
Hatchlings are a favorite with herons.
A late hatch may stay buried in the nest and hibernate which most of the adult terrapins do during winter. The terrapin as with all turtles has a strong beak rather than teeth. It is a predator more than a scavenger. The carapace or top shell of the Maryland terrapin may be light brown, bluish gray or black. The plastron is yellow to olive in color.