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Smooth softshell turtle By: John Gerard From: Life Nature Library: Reptiles 1963

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Here's a very rare Smooth Softshell Turtle I found.

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Apalone mutica better known as the smooth softshell turtle, is a species of North American softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae, which is endemic to the United States where it inhabits the Mississippi River system, along with other adjoining waterways that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. They prefer unpolluted waters with moderate to fast current, and fine sand or silty mud bottoms bury themselves, leaving only their nose or eyes exposed as they wait to ambush passing fish, invertebrates, or amphibians. Although primarily carnivorous, it sometimes resorts to eating vegetation such as algae, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Smooth softshell turtles are themselves preyed upon by bears, alligators, crocodiles, and birds of prey. Female smooth softshell turtles are larger reaching around 6.5 to 14 inches (16.5 to 35.6cms) in length compared to males which get around 4.5 to 10.5 inches ( 11.5 to 26.6cms) in length. Like other softshell turtles, smooth softshell turtles have a carapace that is covered by skin instead of the hard scutes commonly observed in other turtle species. The coloring of the carapace ranges from olive, to grey, to brown, to orange. It has a long neck, powerful webbed feet, and a tubular snout with round nostrils giving it a "pig" nose. Breeding of the smooth softshell turtle occurs from April to June. During such time each individual turtle may mate with many others. About a month after mating, females will dig a nest in the sand up to 300ft (100m) from the water, here she will lay 1 to 33 eggs. Said eggs hatch after an 8 to 12 week incubation period. Under ideal conditions and male smooth softshell turtle will reach sexual maturity at around 4 years of age and females around 9. Both sexes may live upwards of 25 years.

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