Florida Softshell Turtle vs. Spiny Softshell

Both are released or escaped pets in Los Angeles park lakes, and they meet naturally in the southeastern United States. A: Black shell with a yellow-orange rim; yellow stripes on the head in the Florida Softshell Turtle; olive shell with small dark eye-spots or white dots and a pale rim in the Spiny Softshell. B: Oval, clearly longer than wide in the Florida Softshell Turtle; round, about as wide as long in the Spiny Softshell. Old adults of both are plain brown; then shape and size (the Florida reaches 2 ft) help most. Close up, the Spiny has small spines on the front edge of the shell, the Florida rounded bumps.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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