Lake Life Critters + Crawlers
Critters + Crawlers
Spiny Softshell Turtles by Adrienne Funderburg, research program specialist
A
s the sun shines and waters warm, logs, seawalls and roads near lakes and streams become hangout spots for Indiana’s many native turtles. Colorfully striped painted turtles and infamous snappers are common sights in the summertime. But lurking in the sandy bottoms of our backyard water bodies is a much more bizarre, stealthy testudine: the spiny softshell turtle. With a snout like a snorkel and body reminiscent of a pancake, the spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera) is wellequipped for a life mostly underwater. It slides easily through the water with its flat, rubbery shell. While such a shell gives it less protection from predators than its more heavily armored relatives, it is one of the best swimmers of its kind, propelling itself with fully webbed feet. And when life in the lake slows down, it can enjoy a cruise at the sunny surface, poking its notable nose out of the water to breathe. Yet, there’s even more to the spiny softshell than its swimming abilities.
»» Buried in the sand underwater, they’ll
snatch and eat just about any unwitting creature that swims or crawls by, like insects, crayfish, and fish.
»» They have small spines at the front of
their shells, from which they get their name.
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LakeLife Magazine June 2020
»» They can last more than 20 minutes in the water without coming up for air by drawing small amounts of oxygen directly out of water in their mouths and through their skin.
Keep your eyes open for spiny softshells this summer in the water. You’re likely to spot a tiny tube-like nose sticking up, or what looks like an olive-colored pancake draped on a log.
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