Now that's a spiny softshell...

Rick and I ducked out of work a little early yesterday to go canoeing...and turtle hunting! The Wednesday before we canoed the Little Miami River and saw dozens of turtles, but I didn't have my camera with me. This time, I brought my camera...

Look at the spikes on that leathery-soft shell...they really put the "spine" in spiny!

It's easy to identify this Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera spinifera) because her spines are incredibly obvious. Her smarmy little "smile" made me laugh, and I could see a word bubble over her head with "you like those, babe?" printed in it.

We rented our canoe from Morgan's Canoe Rentals and set off from Fort Ancient. We did the 6-mile run, going as far as Morrow. It's the fourth time I've been on the Little Miami this summer--two other times with Rick and once kayaking by myself. Birdwatching and turtle watching from the water is incredible. I know I'll be in the market for a canoe or kayak one of these days. Yesterday we saw a Spotted Sandpiper fly right past us and land on the rocks bankside. I was amazed. It was the first time I had seen a Spotted Sandpiper go bob-bob-bobbing along on my favorite river, and it made me happy! I doubt I would have seen the bird from the trail. Being able to drift down the river silently and at the low angle offers a new perspective on birding...and is the only way to turtle watch.

...this spiny softshell is easy to identify too. You can see the little spines sticking up from the front of the carapace...and the feet are heavily marked with yellow and black spots and streaking.

...sacked out in the mud (and still sporting a clump of sand on her back from being buried earlier), Mrs. Spiny watches us slowly drift by. I love the posture she's in because it reminds me of a crocodile with her head and eye nearly hidden in the mud. (Her little friend resting on her back seems to like the posture too!)

...I see your little spines, Spiny! ...and your distinctive ridged nose...not to mention the yellow and black spots on your legs and feet...and the two lines behind your eye...

Rick and I were hoping to find a Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle (Apalone mutica mutica) yesterday. They are documented on the Great Miami River, and they've been spotted on the Little Miami too, but from a distance it's hard for me to tell them apart. When I first saw this big softshell I didn't see any spines, and the coloring looked different. I was hoping, hoping, hoping we had a Midland Smooth, but on closer inspection, I could see the heavily spotted feet characteristic of the spiny softshells (smooth softshell turtles' feet are not heavily spotted or streaked). Even the ocelli (dark spots) of a spiny softshell are visible if you look carefully. I really want to find a Midland Smooth Softshell so I can compare it with an Eastern Spiny Softshell.

...definitely an Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle.

...here you can see the distinctive soft white plastron (bottom shell) of a softshell turtle. You can also see just how pliable and leathery a softshell turtle's carapace is by the way it drapes over the log.

...this one made me chuckle...looks like she's testing the temp of the water!

I can't wait until the next time we get to go out on the river! For an earlier post on spiny soft shells from the Great Miami River, click here.

Since this post, I was able to photograph Midland Smooth Softshell turtles, click here for photos.

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles in the Great Miami River

Being a birdy kind of girl, when I'm out hiking, I'm usually looking for birds. I listen for small chips, chirps, seeps and other birdy sounds often staring into the treetops, the bushes...or on the forest floor searching them out. Over the years, I've added wildflowers, insects, and snakes, into the mix, but other than box turtles, red-eared sliders, and snapping turtles, I was oblivious to the variety of turtles living in the ponds and rivers of our area, but now that Rick and I have started canoeing, a whole new world has opened up...

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera spinifera)

...would you guess this little trumpet-nosed creature conceivably masquerading as a character out of a Dr. Seuss book lives in our local rivers? He does...

His carapace (shell) is leather-soft and as pliable as rubber. Males retain the dark circles (ocelli) on their shells, but females loose the defined pattern and the circles turn into drab splotches.

The Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle gets its name from the small, conical bumps or "spines" (tubercles) that protrude from the front of the carapace.

Spiny Softshell Turtles may look cute and adorable, but watch out!

I don't think he's as vicious as a honey badger, but he's as aggressive as a snapping turtle and can also bite (not with teeth, but with razor-sharp edges to his jaw). He's also a very strong swimmer, which offers him a degree of protection from predators and helps make up for his carapace's lack of bony plates (scutes).

The adult male's carapace feels like sandpaper, but the female's is smooth. Young Spiny Softshell Turtles resemble males in color and pattern, but their shells are smooth for the first couple of years.

...another unique ability of a softshell turtle is its ability to "breath" underwater. How? The turtle can exchange gases through its skin by pumping water in and out of its mouth and pharynx where surface blood vessels pick up oxygen from the water and expel carbon dioxide. They can stay underwater for up to five hours, but usually remain submerged for only twenty minutes.

Sources:

Ohio Department of Natural Resources - "Ohio's Reptiles" (a free guide from the ODNR Division of Wildflife)

HerpNet - Iowa Reptiles and Amphibians

These photos are from July 7, 2011 while I was canning the Great Miami River with Paul Krusling (click here for a post about Paul). Yesterday, Rick and I canoed the Little Miami River, and we spotted over 12 Eastern Spiny Softshell turtles! They were everywhere and we got so close to them. I'm about 95% positive we also saw a Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle. We were about 10 feet from it and could seen none of the spiny tubercles that identify the Spiny Smoothshell. I didn't bring my camera, but I've created a few sketches, and am going to work up a painting or two...

For a post on spiny softshell turtles on the Little Miami River, click here.

To compare this Eastern Spiny Softshell turtle with a Midland Smooth Softshell turtle, click here.