Spiny Softshell Turtle

About the Spiny Softshell Turtle

The Spiny Softshell looks like the result of a dare: a turtle with a flat, leathery, pancake of a shell, a long tubular snout like a snorkel, and a neck that can lash out with startling reach and speed. The "spiny" part refers to the small pointed bumps along the front edge of the carapace, most obvious on big females.

That strange build is all function. The flexible shell and paddle-like, fully webbed feet make softshells the fastest swimmers in the Texas turtle lineup, and the snorkel nose lets a buried turtle breathe while lying invisible under an inch of sand or mud in the shallows - the classic softshell ambush position.

From that hiding spot they grab fish, crayfish, tadpoles, and aquatic insects, and they can even absorb some oxygen directly through the skin and throat lining, letting them stay under for long stretches.

Spiny Softshells live in rivers, reservoirs, and ponds across most of Texas, hauling out to bask on banks and logs but never straying far from a quick escape route. Handled carelessly they bite hard and scratch harder - a turtle best admired from a respectful distance.