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Spiny Soft Shelled Turtle
Apalone spinifera
40.5561, -105.066
Field Notes
Description:
Apalone spinifera are easily distinguished from other turtles because of their different looking carapace. Unlike most turtles in Georgia, the spiny softshell turtle has a flat, leathery shell with very flexible edges, "resembling a pancake". This carapace can get up to 18" long in females and only 9" long in males being an olive, brown to grayish color with dark spots in males and younger turtles. In adult males, the shell has a lot of spines on the carapace, but in females it only has a few spines. Apalone spinifera has a snorkel-like nose with 2 yellowish lines on the sides of its head.
Habitat:
Habits: Softshells often bury themselves in the mud or sand where they sleep or wait for food to carelessly swim by. They can sometimes be observed basking on sandbars or logs protruding from the water. These turtles are mainly carnivorous, eating almost anything living in the water that will fit into its mouth. This includes, fish, insects, and crayfish. They bury themselves in the sand or mud with only their head sticking out and grab prey as they swim by. From South Carolina, west to Texas and north up the Missouri River system to Montana and the Dakotas, then east to western New York. It is found throughout the state South Carolina and in Georgia except in the mountains and south-central portions of the Coastal Plain. Apalone spinifera are most common in rivers and streams with muddy or sandy bottoms, but are also found in large lakes and reservoirs. And found in Colorado.
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