Florida Softshell Turtle

07.09.2005 - Today I saved this Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox). I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday afternoon, my first time off in 74 days. Suddenly, I heard a knock at my front door. A concerned citizen had found a trapped soft shell turtle! He saw that I had a truck marked "wildlife removal" in my driveway, and he thought that perhaps I could help. "Of course I'll help!" I said, putting down my lemonade and setting aside my book. I followed him out to a nearby lake in downtown Orlando. Sure enough, there, in a fenced-in section next to the lake, sat a Florida Soft Shell Turtle. How it got there I do not know. The bottom of the metal fence went into the ground. Turtles can't climb fences. Perhaps someone put it there, I thought. Regardless, I put it out. I picked it up from the sides of the shell. I've heard that they can swing their head around and bite, so I was careful. I then had the man take a photo, and I released it into the lake.

These turtles are not rare. In fact, they're harvested throughout Florida for sale and consumption, mostly in Asian markets. I've never eaten one, nor will I. If I had to trap one for any reason, I'd use a floating turtle trap. However, I don't own such a trap. I then went back home to my lemonade and book. Softshell turtle, could not hurtle, so it got stuck behind a fence. I got a knock on my door and walked to the shore and the turle's been free ever since.

Do it yourself: Visit my How To Solve Conflicts with Wildlife page for tips and advice.
Get professional help: Visit my Nationwide Pro Directory of wildlife removal experts.

A few facts about the Chinese softshell turtle - If you are a fan of zoology, you will find that one of the most fascinating creatures around are turtles. There are many different species of turtles around, and most of them have very interesting features. One of the most common of these is the Chinese softshell turtle. As the name suggest, the Chinese softshell turtle is native to China and surrounding areas, though the species has been introduced in many other kinds of habitats. This means that if you need to see one, you need to have to go to China to do so.

The Chinese softshell turtle has a number of features that make it distinctive from other kinds of turtles. The first of these is its appearance. the Chinese softshell turtle has a carapace that has a length of around 30 centimeters. The carapace refers to what is most people erroneously refer to as a shell. With other kinds of turtles, the shell is normally had and stony when touched. The carapace of the softshell turtle, however, is a bit softer than the rest. this makes it very easy to access the muscular tissue within the shell, which is why this particular kind of turtle is used as a food.

This kind of turtle feeds on small animals such as fish, some amphibians, molluscs and crustaceans. As one would realize, these animals are mostly found in shallow water such as ponds and swamps. The softshell turtle has a number of characteristics that make it suitably adapted to this kind of lifestyle. For instance, it has a long snout which has two nostrils that look like tubes. These enable the softshell turtle to be able to snorkel in shallow water. This means that it can swim around in the water with its nostrils just above the surface of the water so that it can easily breathe. Usually, the turtle prefers to stay at the bottom of any such water body, burying itself in the mud. It can then lift its head up over the water to breathe or to catch its prey.

This particular kind of turtle is a nocturnal animal. It usually looks for food at night, and then spends the day resting at the bottom of the water body. this means that if you need to spot one, you would have better chances of recording activity of the turtle at night when it is most active.

These kinds of turtles usually reproduce around two to four times each year. During each reproductive cycle, around 15 to 30 eggs are laid. If you need to see this animal in its natural habitat, you would have to find it in areas such as China, Korea, Russia and even Japan. It is also native to some of the surrounding regions such as Singapore, Malaysia, California and Virginia as well. when all is said and done, this turtle species is truly fascinating, and the fact that it is used to make many kinds of food should make more people try to find out more about it.

For more wildlife stories, click my Wildlife Blog, or click my below banner to hire a local trapper.