Types of Soft Shell Turtles: Curious And Fascinating
Soft shell turtles are found throughout the world. They have evolved with a shell that is soft and rubbery, instead of hard. They have other fascinating characteristics that make them excellent pets, and they are among the most interesting turtles to study.
Soft Shelled Turtles – The Basics
Soft-shelled turtles are chiefly recognized by their soft, rubbery, shell. There are twenty-five species, and they belong to the family Tryonichidae. They are present in Africa, North America, the Indo-Pacific, and Asia. These mainly live in freshwater, in lakes, small ponds, and rivers. They can be found living in brackish water in some parts of the world.
These turtles are carnivores. They either hunt their prey or lay in wait to trap it. They feed on small fish, insects, reptiles, mollusks, and crustaceans. Occasionally some species may eat vegetation, especially as they grow older.
In size, they range from a modest eleven inches long to a carapace length of over three feet. These bigger turtles need more water space in which to live and feed and so they are generally found in larger lakes and deeper rivers. Socially, they are solitary animals and spend most of their time alone except for breeding purposes. Hatchlings are independent and no maternal care is needed. Males are mature from three to four years of age, but females take longer, becoming mature at about thirteen years of age.
Soft shell turtles mate in spring and lay anything from as many as a hundred to as few as three eggs. With some turtle species, the sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the soil. They will hatch an entire batch of males or of females, depending on conditions. This isn’t the case with soft shell turtles, which will hatch out males and females from the same nest.
Endangered
Sixteen of the soft shell turtles are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Their worst enemy is man. Some species are taken for food or for the illegal pet trade. In other cases, their environment is threatened by development or pollution. For more information, check out the Red List of endangered species. Softshell turtles are unfortunate in that many of them are good to eat, making them a target for human predation. They are the turtle that is used in the infamous turtle soup.
The Anatomy Of The Soft Shell Turtle
Most of us think of turtles as having a hard upper shell that protects them from the outside world; a little home that they carry on their backs. Soft shell turtles are different. Their shell is like leather, and although it does offer protection for their soft underbody, it isn’t as strong as a hard shell would be.
Soft shell turtles don’t have scutes – the large scale-like structures that make up the familiar construction on a turtle’s carapace, or upper shell. Instead, the shell looks like one continuous piece. With the exception of the smooth soft shell turtle, soft shell turtles have spines or bumps on their shell. These are often used to identify which soft shell species they belong to.
Other characteristic features of the soft shell turtle are their long mobile neck, large head, and pointed snout with the nostrils located on the top. This location of the nostrils means that they can sit under the water, in mud, or in the sand, with just the tiniest bit of their nose exposed, and still be able to breathe.
The soft shell is an adaption that makes these turtles able to dive quickly and deeply. It is also streamlined so that they can swim fast. They need to be fast-moving in order to avoid predators, as they don’t have the protection of a hard, possibly hinged, shell. They also use their speed to catch food. These turtles have strong webbed feet which propel them through the water.
How Do Soft Shell Turtles Breath?
Soft shell turtles use a system known as pharyngeal breathing. This means that they can absorb oxygen through the lining of their throat, and also through their skin. This enables them to hibernate through the winter. They hibernate by burying themselves in mud or sand, and during this time they don’t need to eat. Pharyngeal breathing is unique to soft shell turtles.
The Florida Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone ferox
This is one of the turtle species that exhibits sexual dimorphism. In other words, the males and the females look distinctly different. In this case, the difference is in size. Males grow to just 12″ long, whereas females can grow to twice the size – 24″ long. The theory is that the females need to be bigger to accommodate egg production.
In color, the Florida soft shell turtle has dark brown or green carapace with a gray or white plastron, or lower shell. They prefer large expanses of water with a sandy bottom. As the name suggests, this is a Florida native species. If you want to find out more about the conservation and rescue of this turtle, check out The Florida soft shell rescue.
The Midland Smooth Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone mutica
This turtle is found in the southern and central United States, in particularly in the Mississippi river drainage. They like large bodies of water such as fast-flowing rivers, and they prefer very clear areas without much in the way of vegetation.
The males are gray in color with a lighter plastron, through which you can see the turtle’s bones. Females tend to be darker, brown with darker brown or black splotches. They are different in size, with males growing to 7″ long, females to 14″
Although they are carnivores, they are known to eat vegetation, fruits, and nuts when their favored foods are not available. From a conservation standpoint, the Midland smooth soft shell turtle is considered to be of the least concern.
The Gulf Coast Smooth Soft Shell Turtle – Mutica calvata
This turtle is found from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, with most specimens being located in the Escambia, Pearl, and Alabama river systems.
As the name suggests, the smooth soft shell turtle has a smooth carapace, unlike other soft shell turtles that have spines and bumps. They are gray in color, with a pale plastron through which the bones can be observed. Males grow up to 7″ long and have thicker tails than females. Females grow to 14″ long, and they have longer claws than males.
They like deeper, fast-flowing rivers that are clear and unpolluted. These need access to sandy soil in which to make their nests. They are not currently regarded as being under threat.
The Gulf Coast Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apaloni Spinifera Aspera
Not to be confused with its smooth relative, this turtle is found all along the freshwaters of the Gulf Coast. They live in rivers, ponds, lakes, bays, and marches. They prefer water that is open without too much vegetation or obstruction, and they need access to a raised sandy area for nest making.
Along the edge of the carapace, you will see small spines. The carapace itself is dark brown in color with black lines running along the edge of the shell. The neck and head are brown and have yellow markings. Males grow to 9″ long, females to 18″. They can live to be fifty years old or more. During the day they enjoy sinning themselves on rocks or logs. They also hunt and feed during the day, enjoying grubbing under submerged logs for whatever snack they can find.
The Eastern Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone spinifera spinifera
The turtle can be recognized by the small spines or bumps on the front end of its upper shell. It also has ridges along the side of its pointed nose. Males are gray or tan in color with dark circles or dots. Females are darker in color with gray or brown splotches. The carapace in younger animals can feel quite rough, almost like sandpaper. The head and limbs are dark brown and the head may exhibit pale yellow stripes. The plastron in both cases is pale ivory colored. Males grow to 9″, females to 21″. Both sexes have a long, tube-like nose which they use like a snorkel.
They like to live in large, clean, uncluttered stretches of water where they can employ their strong swimming abilities. During the winter, they hibernate by burying themselves in the mud.
They are said to be good to eat, and so they are under a certain amount of threat from hunting. Habitat loss is also a concern. However, this turtle is widely distributed throughout the United States and is currently not considered to be under threat, as there are widely spread sustainable populations.
The Western Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone spinifera hartwegi
This is very similar to the Eastern spiny soft shell turtle but it is distinctly smaller in size. They also have black spots on their carapace, but these are smaller in size also. These turtles are commonly found around the Mississippi river water system. They enjoy relatively deep, clear, and often fast-flowing water without too much in the way of obstruction from vegetation. These are very strong swimmers and have webbed feet. They are true water lowers, and spend much of their time underwater, where they are able to breathe through their skin.
The Guadalupe Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone spinifera guadalupensis
This turtle is found only in the state of Texas, in the Guadalupe and Nueces rivers and their water systems. They are large turtles and can be identified by black-spotted white tubercles on their carapace, or upper shell. If you are able to look closely, you will see that they don’t have the nasal septal ridges which are present in other members of the family. The conservation status of this very restricted geographic population is not known.
The Texas Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone spinifera emoryi
This turtle can be found in Texas and New Mexico, in the Pacos and Rio Grande river systems. It has a light brown carapace, or upper shell, dotted with black, with an outer rim that is pale cream and broader at the back of the shell. This coloration in females fades and becomes gray and brown as they age.
Males are mature at 4 oz in weight, whereas females need to grow to 33lb before they are sexually mature. Females nest in late spring, and lay around twelve to eighteen eggs at a time, although numbers up to thirty-nine eggs have been recorded. Incubation takes between two and three months, and roughly equal numbers of male and female hatchlings are produced. This turtle prefers highly-oxygenated rivers, but it can also be found in ox-bows, ponds, and even in farm tanks.
The Pallid Spiny Soft Shell Turtle – Apalone spinifera pallid
This subspecies is found in parts of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and in Louisiana. It is distinguished by the pale tubercles on the carapace, or upper shell, which do not have black spots. The tubercles begin at the back of the carapace and can be seen up to halfway along when they become smaller and eventually disappear.
Although this turtle has a rather restricted geographic range and is hunted for its meat and for the pet trade, it is not considered to be under threat. It seems to be able to breed successfully and to maintain robust populations. Locally they may be threatened by development and by pollution, resulting in loss of habitat.
Do Soft Shell Turtles Make Good Pets?
Soft shell turtles are interesting and enjoyable to watch, and they do make good pets, provided you obtain them legally and are prepared to provide them with the kind of environment which they need. In particular, they will need deep, clean, water which is well-oxygenated, and if you have a breeding pair, an elevated sandy area that they can use for nesting. They can grow to be pretty big, so you need to think about having a large aquarium for them to enjoy. These will also need warm water and an artificial sunlight spot for basking.
They are generally felt to be a little more aggressive than some of the more familiar pet turtles, so they are probably best suited to a more experienced keeper. These are also long-lived, so you need to be sure that you and your family can make a fifty-year commitment!
Remember that it is not a kindness to release an unwanted pet turtle into the wild. In many states, it’s actually illegal. Your pet may not be able to fend for itself. Or, it might fend for itself all too well and begin out-competing the local turtle population. Finally, you might be introducing diseases or weak genetics into the local wild population. There are plenty of turtle rescue organizations that will help you re-home your pet if needs be.