Florida Softshell Turtle

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iFlorida Softshell Turtle

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Apalone
Species:	A. ferox

Binomial name

Apalone ferox
Schneider, 1783

Synonyms

Testudo ferox
Testudo mollis
Testudo bartrami
Trionyx carinatus
Trionyx georgianus
Trionyx ferox
Trionyx brogniarti
Trionyx harlani

The Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox) is a species of softshell turtle native to the eastern United States, primarily in the state of Florida, but it also ranges to South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. They are widely distributed by the pet industry, and individual specimens have been found released to the wild well outside of their range, but they are not known to have established outside of their native habitat.

[edit] Description

The Florida Softshell Turtle is typically has a dark brown to olive green, leathery carapace with a white or cream colored underside. They have a long neck, an elongated head, with a long snorkel-like nose. Juveniles have dark blotching, which fades as they age. They grow to a large size, from 6-25 inches (15-63 cm), largest of all the species in the genus Apalone.

[edit] Behavior

Florida Softshell Turtles are almost entirely aquatic, generally only emerging from the water to bask or to lay their eggs. They are carnivorous, eating a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates, insects, and fish.