The Florida Soft-shelled Turtle is found throughout Florida in calm or relatively calm ponds, lakes, and canals that have a relatively sandy bottom. A male is much smaller than a female -- thus allowing him to be more maneuverable. A females is much larger thus allowing her to accommodate the many large eggs that she lays. With strong hind legs she digs a nesting hole, lays her eggs, and fills it in – without ever looking back. A broad band of tubercles -- scale-like structures -- occurs along the front edge of the Florida Soft-shelled Turtle’s carapace, distinguishing it from other soft-shelled turtles. Fish Crows and other predators often follow the slow-moving female as she seeks and digs a nest site. Sometimes predators take her eggs as she lays them.
Florida Softshell Turtle
