Species

Spiny softshell

Apalone spinifera

A flat, pancake-shaped river turtle of western and northern Georgia, fast in the water and quick to bite.

Photo U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: Females up to about 45 cm shell length; males much smaller
Habitat: Rivers and large streams with sandy or muddy bottoms; also lakes
Diet: Crayfish, insects, fish and snails
In Georgia: Rivers of western and northern Georgia
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Flat, round, leathery shell with small spines along the front edge; tube-like snout; olive with dark spots
Told apart from: Florida softshell, which lacks the spines and lives in southern Georgia
Where to look: Basking on sandbars and banks, or buried in shallow sand

Behaviour

Spiny softshells are among the fastest turtles in fresh water. They bury themselves in sandy bottoms and ambush prey, stretching their long necks up to breathe. They are wary and quick to leave the bank.

Why they matter

They are important predators of crayfish and aquatic insects, and their sandbar nests feed many animals. Clean, sandy river bottoms matter to them, so they are a sign of healthy rivers.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — Dug in open sand or gravel near water
Eggs — Usually 4 to 39
Incubation — About 60 to 85 days
Hatchlings — Round and spotted, about 3 to 4 cm across
Maturity — Females take several years longer than males
Lifespan — Decades

Living around people

Do not pick one up; it bites quickly and the neck is long.
Boats running onto sandbars in early summer can crush nests.

Misconceptions

Softshells are harmless because they are soft. They defend themselves with a fast bite; watch them from a distance.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Inactive	Inactive	Becoming active	Courtship	Nesting on sandbars	Nesting	Nesting ends	Hatching	Hatchlings emerge	Feeding	Slowing down	Inactive

Where it lives

Recorded in 47 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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