Spiny Softshell: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Life in the Water · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Spiny softshells can take in oxygen underwater, partly through their skin, so they can rest underwater for up to six months in winter.
2. A female can lay 9 to 38 round eggs, in a flask-shaped hole she digs on a sunny sandbar or gravel bank.
3. Their upper shell measures from 18 to 54 cm, and females grow bigger than males.
4. Their shell is leathery and bends a little, because it has lost the hard plates that cover most turtle shells.
5. On average, a spiny softshell's home range stretches 10.8 km. One study found females' yearly range was over ten times bigger than males'.

The quiz

1. How long can a spiny softshell stay down in winter?

• Up to two weeks
• Up to six months (correct)
• Up to one month
• Up to a few days

They take in oxygen underwater, partly through their skin, and winter rest underwater can last up to six months.

2. How many eggs can one female lay?

• Two to five
• Fifty to sixty
• Ten to twelve
• Nine to thirty-eight (correct)

A female can lay anywhere from nine to thirty-eight eggs.

3. Which sex grows bigger?

• Females (correct)
• Males
• Both are always the same size
• It changes every year

Females grow bigger than males.

4. Why is a spiny softshell's shell soft and leathery?

• It has lost the hard plates most turtles have (correct)
• It only softens in summer
• It is filled with air
• It is made of feathers

It has lost the hard plates (scutes) that cover most turtle shells.

5. In one study, whose yearly home range was over ten times bigger?

• Males'
• Females' (correct)
• Both were the same
• Neither moved at all

One study found females' yearly home range was over ten times bigger than males'.

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