A
terrapin is one of several small species of
turtle living in
fresh or
brackish water. Terrapins do not form a
taxonomic unit, and may not be very closely related, although many belong to the families
Geoemydidae and
Emydidae. A distinction between turtle and terrapin does not exist in other European languages. The name "terrapin" is derived from the
Algonquian word
torope, used for
Malaclemys terrapin. In the UK,
red-eared sliders are known as red-eared terrapins.