Spiny Softshell Turtle

Apalone spinifera

Order: Testudines

Family: Emydidae

Find out more about Spiny Softshell Turtles from:

 

Websites -

HerpNet

 

Publications -

Turtles and Turtle Watching for the North Central States. John J. Moriarty Published by the Nongame Wildlife Program.

 

Minnesota Conservation Volunteer articles -

Mississippi Yields Record Turtle

 

DNR web pages -

MCBS Procedures:Turtle Trapping

 

 

Spiny softshell turtle

Identification

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. The leading edge of the carapace has enlarged points called tubercles. This gives them a spiny appearance. The plastron is white to cream.

 

Females are much larger than the males. Females can have a carapace length up to 19 inches, while males only get to 9 inches.

Spiny softshell turtle