Testudo, our beloved university mascot, has changed a lot over the years. We’re turning back time to see every phase they’ve been through. Tally up your A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and E’s to discover which version of Testudo best matches you.

What is your favorite way to get around campus?
A. Walking thirty minutes down Stadium Drive
B. Veos, scooters, bikes, galore!
C. Three Shuttle-UMs and one public bus
D. Carried in a palanquin
E. 10101010? ..1001

Think fast! Your final project is due at midnight (and you haven’t started)
A. Do as much as I can with the time I have left
B. It is what it is
C. There’s no project that a can of Celsius and an all-nighter can’t put together in time
D. Ask for help from a friend
E. 10101010!?

How do you spend your weekends?
A. Cheering at the sports game
B. Looney’s
C. Studying in McKeldin Library
D. Hot pot with friends
E. Coding in binary

Choose your comfort movie
A. Finding Nemo
B. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but the bad-CGI 1990 version
C. Mean Girls
D. Shark Tale
E. Wall-E

Which mobile app do you use most often?
A. Facebook
B. Instagram
C. Canvas
D. UMD App
E. I’m too busy making my own mobile apps

Pop quiz? What kind of turtle is Testudo?
A. A terrapin turtle, obviously
B. Uhh… There’s more than one kind of turtle?
C. Terrapin turtle, specifically the Diamondback variety, which can actually live 25 to 40 years in the wild! It’s actually fairly interesting. Did you know that only about 1-2% of hatchlings are believed to make it to adulthood because of habitat loss? Wait, where are you going?
D. The mascot kind
E. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.

If you got mostly A’s: You got Classic Testudo

Congratulations on being our walking, talking archive of Maryland trivia! You know everything about Maryland history, and you proudly keep things classic. While others rush ahead with using ChatGPT for all their assignments, you’re still keeping it real with the old-fashioned pencil and paper style submissions. And of course, as a Terrapin aficionado, no conversation is complete without your favorite factoid: “Did you know Testudo was actually a girl?” Yes… yes, we know.

If you got mostly B’s: You got Suave Testudo

Suave and nonchalant, you somehow always manage to get people talking — just like Testudo during their badly-rendered CGI debut at the 2015 football season. Aside from becoming surprisingly excited every time someone mentions an early 2000s uncanny valley CGI animated film like Polar Express and The Mummy Returns, no one knows how you get away with your silent rizz. Just like how we always catch ourselves wondering where this image of Testudo came from, you always cross people’s minds at the most unexpected times. Watch out, campus.

If you got mostly C’s: You got Mecha Testudo

You’ve got an indomitable Terrapin spirit. Just like the metal parade animal amicably known as Testudo II, you’re never fettered by impossible odds. Final project due next week? No worries, you’ll get it done the day it’s due and still get away with an A. But don’t mistake your wins for luck — just like the controversial $3,400 from SGA’s budget to fund the creation of Testudo II, you’re willing to give it your all in order to get your work done on time. Just make sure to take time for self-care, or else you might also mysteriously vanish into legend like it did in the 1970s…

If you got mostly D’s: You got Statue Testudo

Ah, yes, the famed Testudo statue. You’re the kind of Terp who likes to take in everything campus has to offer. You are someone reliable. You always have the right thing to make someone smile, even though we are still not entirely sure how you ended up getting a traffic cone in your dorm room. At any rate, you’re never too far when a friend needs help, whether it comes in the form of a helping hand or a can of Celsius to pull them through midterm season. Especially during midterm season.

If you got mostly E’s: You got Website Testudo

“Testudo is down again,” they complain. “Have you checked your midterm grades on Testudo yet?” they wonder. You stalk away in the shadows. Little do they know that by day, you are a UMD student. By night, you are Testudo, the Office of the Registrar’s website. In true college fashion, you have forgotten what sleep feels like. You crash at 5:45AM only to rise again at 6:30AM, and somehow still get everything done.

We’re onto you.

Image Credits: Hayley Boore