Critter Corner -
Soft-Shelled Turtle
(Apalone spinifera)
 
DID YOU KNOW:
The shell of a soft-shelled turtle is actually thickened skin.
The shell can easily be injured by scrapes or bites. The
plastron, the bottom shell of the turtle is made of cartilage.
Cartilage is the soft, flexible material that forms your outer
ears and the tip of your nose.
EATING HABITS:
A soft-shelled turtle has an extremely long neck and pig-like
nose, called a proboscis, that is excellent for snorkeling or
sniffing for food between the cracks and crevices of rocks.
They will eat almost anything in the water, including insects,
snails, fish, frogs, salamanders and even plants.
THE YOUNG:
Soft-shells mate in late spring in deep water. Females dig
a cavity in a gravel bank as close to water as possible.
The 10 to 40 round, hard-shelled eggs hatch in the fall and the
baby turtles are on their own. At about 10 years of age,
females can lay eggs. A female can live about 50 years.
HABITAT (HOME):
Soft-shell turtles are found in streams, lakes, ponds and
rivers. Three types of soft-shells live in the United
States. The smooth soft-shell is found in our area.
There turtles spend most of their time buried in mud at the
bottom of the water. Though they do breath air through
their nose, they also take in oxygen from the water through the
thin skin along their throats and in the rectum. This
ability allows them to stay under water for long periods.
DEFENSIVE HABITS:
Soft-shell turtles are quite aggressive and can deliver a
painful bite when threatened. They are extremely fast on
land and in water, which makes for quite a quick get-a-way from
predators.
UNUSUAL FACTS:
The long neck and strange nose of the soft-shelled turtle are
used together to make a snorkel. The turtle sits buried
with just his head out in the water to watch for a nearby meal.
It occasionally sticks its snorkel above water for a quick
breath.
To learn more about
soft-shelled turtles
(Photo credits: Both
pictures are from Missouri Department of Conservation)
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