Spiny Softshell Turtle

Description:

A 16 inch long x 14 inch wide creek turtle found in a hayfield. Smooth back. No sight of tail.

Habitat:

Rural Ohio hayfield.

Notes:

The Spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a species of softshelled turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. They get their name from the spiny, cone-like projections on the leading edge of their carapace, which are not scutes (scales). The spiny softshell has a wide range, extending throughout much of the United States, as well as north into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and south into the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Baja California, Morelos,and Honduras.