Testudines Apalone spinifera -- Spiny Shoftshell
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Testudines Apalone spinifera -- Spiny Shoftshell |
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Search for another IL amphibian or reptile Search for IL amphibians & reptiles by county Go to the INHS Amphibian & Reptile Collection homepage Search the INHS collections data for amphibians & reptiles Search the INHS Type Specimen Data for amphibians & reptiles |  
Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. |
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Key Characters: Anterior margin of carapace decked with small spines or tubercles; conspicuously patterned feet; snout squared off with horizontal ridge projecting from median septum into each nostril. Similar Species: Smooth softshell. Subspecies: Eastern spiny softshell, A. s. spinifera. Description: Large (up to 38 cm CL) turtle with carapace pattern of dark circles and spots in males and juveniles; larger, irregular blotches in females. A pair of dark-bordered light stripes runs from snout to eyes; another pair of similar stripes extends posteriorly from the eye onto the neck; a third pair of short light stripes extends back from mandible. Male smaller with rough sandpaperlike carapace, and conspicuously longer, thicker tail than female. Habitat: Rivers, backwaters, lakes, and ponds. Natural History: Often seen basking on logs. Readily bites. Its sharp-edged jaws, hidden beneath the fleshy lips, can deliver a painful wound. Feeds on aquatic insects, crustaceans, and fish. May actively forage for prey or bury itself in the sand to wait for unwary animals to come within striking range. Female nests in sand or mud from mid-May into July, lays an average of 18 round, brittle-shelled eggs (ca. 28 mm) per clutch, up to four clutches per year. Status: Less susceptible to siltation and pollution than the smooth softshell. Remains common in most river systems within the state (see distribution map, above). |
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