Spiny Softshell
Apalone spinifera
Photo by E. Eskew
Description: This is a large, flattened turtle whose carapace (top of shell) and plastron (bottom of shell) are covered with skin.
Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)
Description: Up to 18" carapace length. Carapace olive, brown, or grayish, with dark spots in younger individuals. Shell flattened and covered with soft, leathery skin. Snout long and rounded; lips fleshy.
Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)
Photos by J.D. Willson unless otherwise noted ...
Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera ssp.)
Description
Habitats
Habits and Life History
Prey and Hunting Techniques ...
Spiny Softshell Turtle Species Profile
Other Turtles »
Spiny Softshell Turtle Stats ...
Florida Softshell
Sighting:
Fairchild Tropical Garden, Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida ...
Florida Softshell
Relatives in same Genus
Spiny Softshell Turtle (A. spinifera) ...
The Spiny Softshell Turtle, Apalone spinifera, is found west of the Appalachicola and St. Mary's Rivers. Its shell is flat, round and a light grayish brown, looking much like a pancake, with small spines at the edge of the shell by the neck.
Spiny Softshell Turtle
Trionyx spiniferus
by
Status The spiny softshell has no status in Minnesota. Description The spiny softshell is a large Minnesota turtle and grows to a carapace length of 17 inches in females (Conant and Collins, 1991 ).
Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera)
No photo of the Spiny Softshell available.
The Spiny Softshell is from the order Testudines. All turtles are testudines (or Chelonia). There are more than 280 different species belonging to this order.
Spiny softshells are totally aquatic, only coming out of water to lay eggs or bask briefly in the sun. They inhabit small creeks, rivers, ponds, or lakes. Mating occurs in April or May with egg deposition occurring in June or July.
Florida softshell turtle
Apalone ferox
The Florida softshell turtle gets its name from the tough, leathery skin covering that extends over its shell.
The spiny softshell turtle looks a lot like its relative the midland smooth softshell turtle, but there are some differences.
Eastern spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera spinifera
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Where are they found? North America ...
Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle
Scientific Name: Apalone spinifera
Size: 7-17 inches (18-43.2 cm) in length
PA Status: Species of special concern ...
Reptiles; Spiny Softshell Turtle, Images by Wernher Krutein and PHOTOVAULTŪ ...
General description: Spiny Softshells have a brown to olive-green carapace. The females are blotched and the males are uniformly colored with dark spots. The shell is round and leathery.
Softshell Turtles - Family Trionychidae
Florida Softshell Apalone ferox. Peripheral. Known from only a few localities in southern Baldwin County and extreme southern Coastal Plain in the Yellow and Choctawhatchee River systems.
Spiny softshelled turtle
Class: Reptilia
Status: Not listed ; CITES: No special status. COSEWIC: Threatened
Spotted turtle ...
Spiny Softshell
Georgia Wildlife Web
All information provided by the Georgia Museum of Natural History ...
Spiny Softshell Turtle
Cistuda Blandingii
Blanding's Tortoise, Prairie Tortoise, High-land Terrapin ...
Frog-faced softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii)
Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Pintail snipe (Gallinago stenura)
Oriental pratincole (Glareola maldivarum)
Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) ...
The Spiny Softshell is widely distributed throughout the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin, with spotty distribution in the east. It inhabits most rivers and larger lakes, preferring mud or sand bottoms.
An Asian giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) caught by a fisherman in Lao PDR's Attapeu Province.
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Key Facts ...
eastern spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera spinifera)
eastern worm snake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus)
five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus)
glossy crayfish snake (Regina regida regida)
green anole (Anolis carolinensis) ...
Freshwater turtles are generally smaller, but with the largest species, the Asian softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii, a few individuals have been reported up to 200 centimetres (6.6 ft).
I have had a spiny softshell turtle now for about, 3 months, he lives in a heated 45 gal tank with 3 other turtles. I have had no problems, and he is definatly fully grown, if anything the turtles are getting along great.
Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle
Northern Spider Tortoise
Pig-nosed Turtle
Radiated Tortoise
Red-bellied Short-necked Turtle
South African Bowsprit Tortoise
South American Yellow-foot Tortoise
Spiny Softshell Turtle
Spotted Turtle ...
While most freshwater turtles have hard boney shells, three species known as softshell turtles have fleshy shells adapted for swimming. Turtle shells provide protection from predators.
All turtles breathe with lungs, but many aquatic species such as the softshell turtles can absorb oxygen while submerged, ...
The carapace of this turtle is covered in leathery skin bearing spines at the anterior edge, giving it its common name. The eastern spiny softshell turtle is one of the rarest turtles in Canada and is listed as a threatened species by the Committee ...
Mollusks, especially clams, and crustaceans; also softshell crabs, shrimp, worms, and a few fish.
Notes ...
 See also: Shell, Gopher, Manatee, Reptile, Softshell Turtle
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