Photo of the Month

This site was created by students in the herpetology class at Towson University.  Site last updated: 05/21/07.

Acknowledgements: Herb Harris - Range Maps;  Mark Tegges - Photography; Dan Lapascha & Gigi Forester - TU Herpetology Logo

Spiny softshelled turtle

Description

    The softshell turtle gets its name from its shell which is round, smooth, leathery, pliable and lacking scaly scutes.  The carapace is olive to tan in color with black-bordered speckles, a dark ring surrounding the edge, and two or more lines bordering the posterior margin of the shell.  Small spines or tubercles are found on the anterior edge of the carapace.  The E. spiny softshell turtle has a long nose that is tapered and upturned at the end.  The nostrils have a lateral ridge extending from the nasal septum.  The very long neck is withdrawn vertically into the shell.  The plastron is similar to the carapace in lacking scutes and is white to yellow in color.  There is a size difference between sexes, as females exhibit a carapace length of up to 42 cm while males are a mere 21 cm.  Softshell turtles are able to remain underwater for up to 5 hours at a time by engaging in cloacal and cutaneous respiration.      

Habitat

    In Maryland, the softshell turtle is limited to the Youghiogheny River near Shelbysport.  Generally speaking, they can be found in a wide variety of freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, ponds and marshes with sandy or muddy bottoms and limited vegetation. 

Breeding 

    Mating occurs in deep water from mid to late spring.  Males exhibit courtship behavior such as head nudging.  If a female is receptive to a male, rather than climbing onto the female’s back as is commonly done in other species, the male will swim above the female’s back without grasping on to her.  Nesting takes place from May to August.  A nest is excavated in a sun-exposed gravel or sand bar.  Double clutching is common in this species.  Each female deposits 9 – 38 round eggs which hatch from August to October.  Some hatchlings may overwinter and emerge the following spring.   

 Distribution in Maryland

            Range map adapted from Harris, 1975. 

Links

Bartholomew, P. 2000. "Apalone spinifera" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 18,

  2007 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Apalone_spinifera.html

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-60654--,00.html

http://www.tigr.org/reptiles/families/Trionychidae.html