This is a picture of my favorite turtle. I found him about 4 years ago at a local creek (Houston Texas) I have done much reading about softshells but i just can't find a picture of a Softshell that looks like him. Could some one help me I.D. Him
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Softshell turtle
sodium
Oct 11, 2003 01:26 PM
Replies (2)
bloomindaedalus
Oct 11, 2003 04:05 PM
Its a western spiny soft shell (apalone spinifera)
Hard to tell what subspecies:
has white dots almost on second half of shell like pallidus
but widened rim of yellow ring on margin like hartwegi (but this is likely out of your range in Houston) i think there are lots of guadalupensis there. Could be an intergrade. i'll have to check with the key to the species.
Nice turtle,can bite hard. Looks like a male. watch out for those carpet fibers; they end up injesting them sometimes.
SlipKorn
Oct 12, 2003 03:46 PM
It's just a normal spiny softshell. It's a female because it has the camo pattern instead of the spots on the back like the male. The males shells also feel like sand paper.
