Rural School Leaflet 1239 



The spiny soft-shelled turtle is the only species in New York State. 

 It has a series of spines on the front edge of the carapace, and can com- 

 pletely retract the hcatl and the feet. In color it is olive brown, slaty, 

 or greenish. On the carapace are round brown spots, each margined with 

 a ring of black. These spots are largest in the middle of the upper sheU. 

 The under shell, or plastron, is pure white. The broadly webbed feet 

 are white, spotted with black. 



The spiny soft-shelled turtle is common in the Central States and the 

 Great Lakes region, and is occasionally found in New York State. It 

 comes out of hibernation the last of March and throughout April. It may 

 float on the surface of the water or, very commonly, bask on some floating 

 log or perch. It seldom leaves the vicinity of water, is an excellent 

 swimmer, and under water it can breathe as well as any fresh-water 

 turtle. When danger approaches, no turtle is quicker to escape. It can 

 bur\' itself in sand or mud in an incredil^ly 

 short time, and, when tormented on land, 

 can leap its whole length. When caught it 

 is ferocious, and can give a savage bite. 

 Its food is largely, if not solely, animal 

 in nature and consists of insects, cra>^sh, 

 small fish, and frogs. 



In June and Jul\- the shy female seeks 



the sandy or clayey edges of lakes and 



ponds, or sandy fields near swamps, and . , „ , 



. . n \ • ^ oioK^ .soft-shelled turtle, natural 



deposits her eighteen to twenty-hve spheri- ^^3^; j,/,,/, i^.„ tj,„f,s larger 



cal eggs from six to eight inches deep in 



the earth. The eggs are about the size of those of the snapping turtle, 



one inch in diameter, or slightly larger. In August or early September 



the young appear, and about a month later they and the adults of this 



fearless species Ixirrow into the mud of ponds and lakes, where they 



remain over winter. 



3. The mud turtles of New York State are small in size, and two in 

 number: the common mud turtle and the musk turtle. 



(a) The mud turtle has a shell from three and one-half to six inches 

 long, and dark or dusky brown or olive in color. The mud turtle is 

 found in the United States east of the Mississippi Valley, but is rare 

 north of Pennsylvania. It differs from the musk turtle in having a larger 

 under shell, or plastron, which protects the legs. The plastron of the 

 mud turtle has a hinge across the middle so that it can close up and pro- 

 tect the animal. The rear margin of the plastron is notched instead of 

 even, as in the musk turtle, and the head of the mud turtle has no 

 stripes on it. The male has a sharp, nail-like point at the end of 



