Spiny Softshell Turtle Art Print

Ozwald, the Spiny Softshell Turtle
Apalone (formerly Trionyx) spiniferus spiniferus

Softshell turtles are remarkable creatures that live in rivers and streams throughout much of the Eastern and Southern U.S. Their shells are covered with rough, leathery skin that conceals the flattened ribs that make up all turtles’ shells. Softshells  are swift swimmers with broad, webbed feet, and when they find a good ambush spot they wiggle their flat shells under the silty stream floor to wait for prey. Their long necks can reach up for a look around and a breath with their snorkel-like snout. With all that skin they can absorb oxygen from the water while they wait for small fish and crayfish to come within snapping reach.

“Ozwald” was a turtle who was a particular friend. He was given to me while I was studying biology in college, by a friend who had been given him in turn. He was probably caught in the wild hundreds of miles to the south, but captive turtles can contract diseases, so I could not release him. Softshell turtles have a reputation for aggressiveness but Ozwald was docile and a joy to watch. I eventually donated him to a public aquarium that had just lost their large Florida Softshell. He was not happy with confinement even in a 300-gallon tank and kept escaping, to his ultimate demise. He was the last reptile I attempted to keep as a pet. It was a great joy to finally see one of his kin in the wild several years later, in a broad, clear-flowing stream in Tennessee.