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Spiny Soft-shelled Turtle
- Colouration
- Dull olive, with a narrow yellow border, internally margined with black. (Seen on all the species.) There are numerous black rings scattered over the carapace--a character vividly apparent on young specimens, which are green. The plastron is immaculate white.
- Dimensions
- A mature, female specimen, taken at Quincy, Illinois, shows the following measurements:
- Distribution
- An abundant species in the Central States. It inhabits the tributaries of the Mississippi River in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and western New York. It also occurs in the tributaries of the St. Lawrence River, the lakes of northern New York State, and has been taken as far east as Lake Champlain.
A smaller species than the preceding, but the general characters are very similar. The conical, spiny tubercles on the front margin of the carapace are very pronounced.
Head markings.--The head is olive--not brown as with the preceding species. On each side of the head, and the neck, is a yellow, black-bordered stripe, extending forward and through the eye thence uniting with its fellow at the base of the snout. The head-markings alone will immediately separate the species from the Southern soft-shelled turtle. The limbs are olive, spotted and marbled with black.
Length of Carapace . . . . . 14 inches.
Width of Carapace . . . . . 12 inches.
Length of Plastron . . . . . 10 inches.
Length of Tail . . . . . 3 1/4 inches.
Width of Head . . . . . 1 3/4 inches.
Width of Spread, Hind Foot . . . . . 3 1/4 inches.
Weight . . . . . 7 1/2 lbs.
Owing to the existence of the several canals in the upper part of New York State, avenues offering an extension of distribution have been taken advantage of by the soft-shelled turtles. Thus we may understand why occasional specimens are found in the Hudson River. The headquarters of this species should be given, however, as the Central States. Here the turtles are so numerous as to be a real nuisance to the angler.