Softshell Turtle

These New World species range from Canada, through the U.S. east of the Rockies, down into northern Mexico. softshelled species are also found in northern Africa, through Israel up into Turkey, in the Amur region in the former USSR, and from China and Korea down through southeast Asia, including species introduced into Hawaii.

The most common in the pet trade and captivity are the smooth softshell (Apalone mutica), the Florida softshells (A. ferox) and the eastern spiny softshell turtles (A. spinifera spp.), whose natural range extends from southern Ontario and Quebec, through the northern U.S. from Montana, Wyoming and Colorado east to New York, Vermont, and south to Georgia and into Florida and Mexico.

Like most aquatic turtles, softshells must be able to haul themselves out of the water onto a warm and dry basking area. Basking temperatures of 85 F (warmer for the Florida softshells) are required during the day. Water temperatures can range from 70-80 degrees. Basking heat should be provided by an overhead incandescent light. Special UVB fluorescent lighting is not necessary.

Due to their aggressive tendencies, especially if overcrowded, they should be kept single or in pairs. Pairs should be monitored closely to assure that one is not attacking the other; bite marks on the fleshy carapace or plastron are one indicator, and severe injuries have been inflected on their sensitive noses, as well, from aggressive conspecifics.

Ugly Animals - Softshell Turtle









8 comments:

  1. It is very beautiful in its ugliness, I think.

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  2. Fucking disgusting

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  3. plz do not say bad stuff if you dont like the pic by the way lovely

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  4. its face is something like birds...chickens maybe..?! Interesting though...

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  5. esta es una bella creatura,ademas de interesante...gracias a Dios por las diversidades.

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  6. Just caught 1 yesterday in SC.

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  7. It looks different because of its pointy nose. But I feel a certain gentleness coming from it.

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  8. Just escorted one 2ft.long 1.5 ft. wide across the street to the other mating pond, there is a serene pond behind our house here in Jax (Mandarin) all year I witness the dramas nature is responsible for...the circle of life is so wonderful to witness first hand like this, as that is the 5th turtle encounter this 2016...all the ducks/birds also cross the street and almost get squashed by dangerous drivers so I bought a couple of slow for ducks n' turtle signs and it works like a charm for the most part...the angelic dinosaur ancestor had a shell that curved around under it's rear and I never saw a softshelled snubnosed turtle before today...I adore my life here in FL!!!
    Char

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