Spiny Softshell Turtle

Apalone spinifera

The spiny softshell is a unique turtle in Canada. Unlike other Canadian turtles, the spiny softshell has a "pancake-like" carapace (shell) which is relatively flat and leathery to the touch. This turtle is also distinguishable by its long neck and legs, tubelike nose, and by the spots on its carapace. These spots are dark-rimmed and light-centred in young spiny softshells, but as the females mature the markings fade to brown. In addition, the carapace of the male is covered in tiny spines which are much less prevalent in the female. The spiny softshell has a tendency to lie burried in mud on shallow riverbottoms, extending only its nostrils above the surface of the water. This habit, and the fact that it only rarely basks on logs, make it a difficult species to find.