soft shell turtle

Soft shell turtle at Everglades National Park

Soft shell turtle Apalone ferox

Soft shell turtles belong to Trionychidae family

The juvenile are yellow/green with grey, orange and yellow markings on the shell and head. As the turtle ages, the markings fade. The adults are brown with very few different colours. The colouration of their shells helps them to camouflaged. 

 When they are swimming, they use their nose as a snorkel to able them to breathe, they are able to remain under water for a long time, as the vessels which line the throat are able to take in and absorb oxygen, they have webbed feet which help them to swim effectively.  The males are smaller than the females. Females are 61cm and males are 30cm in length. The adults have larger plastrons than the juveniles. The males can be aggressive to other males for females and territory.  They have a long lifespan of over fifty years. 

They can be found in brackish water (streams, canals and ditches) with sandy substrate, These turtles eat crustaceans, insects and amphibians. March to July is breeding season, they leave the water to make a hole to lay the eggs, which are there for three months. The hatchlings are similar colouring to the adults, green. 

These turtles are mainly aquatic but come onto land to bask to keep warm. 

They are native to the United States of America.

Pbcgov.com, (2015). Critter Corner Archive - Florida Softshell Turtle. [online] Available at: http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/nature/green_cay_nature_center/ccarchiveflasoftshellturtle.htm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].

Nationalzoo.si.edu, (2015). National Zoo| FONZ. [online] Available at: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Floridasoftshelledturtle.cfm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].

Srelherp.uga.edu, (2015). Species Profile: Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox) | SREL Herpetology. [online] Available at: http://srelherp.uga.edu/turtles/apafer.htm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].