Softshell Turtle

See a softshell turtle hunting for fish trapped in a small lagoonSee all videos for this article

See how nature, a raccoon dog, and even from its kind are a threat to the softshell turtlesSee all videos for this article

softshell turtle, (family Trionychidae), any of about 30 turtle species characterized by a flattened shell. The shell lacks the epidermal scutes (large scales) characteristic of most turtles, as in the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and the bony architecture of the shell is reduced. Softshells have long necks and streamlined heads with elongated proboscis-like snouts bearing the nostrils at the tips. They often lie buried in mud, sand, and shallow water. By extending the head and neck so that the snout just breaks the surface, they can breathe in a snorkel-like manner. All softshells are mainly carnivorous. They actively search for and pursue prey or capture it by ambush. The flattened shape seems a strange one for an active animal, but apparently it is hydrodynamically efficient. Propelled by all four limbs—both forefeet and hind feet are strongly webbed—softshells are rapid swimmers.

spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera)

Watch the Chinese softshell turtle soaking up the sun at the banks of Lake KhankaSee all videos for this article

The 14 genera of softshells are divided into two evolutionary groups: the subfamily Cyclanorbinae of southern Asia, northeastern Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa; and the subfamily Trionychinae of southeastern North America, southern Asia, and Africa. The cyclanorbine softshells are made up of two African genera (Cyclanorbis and Cycloderma) and a single genus (Lissemys) of Indian and Burman flap-shelled turtles. The trionychine softshells are more biologically diverse. The three species of North American softshells (Apalone) are moderately sized, and adult males grow to about two-thirds the size of females. Adult female carapace lengths range from 17 cm (7 inches) in A. mutica and A. spinifera to 63 cm (25 inches) in A. ferox. The largest trionychine softshells are the narrow-headed softshell (Chitra indica) and the Asian giant softshell (Pelochelys bibroni) of Southeast Asia; the shells of both species reach lengths of more than 1 metre (3.3 feet).

Softshells can lay as few as 2 eggs, as in young females of the genus Lissemys, or more than 100 eggs, as in a large-bodied Trionyx triunguis. Embryonic development time varies from as few as 30 days to nearly 300 days, depending upon species and environmental conditions in the nest. Using their hind limbs, softshells dig nests in friable soil usually in areas adjacent to water.