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Smooth Softshell vs. River Cooter

The shell: Smooth Softshell — soft, flat and leathery; River Cooter — hard, with plates. The shell pattern: Smooth Softshell — plain, no pattern or dark spots or rings on a leathery shell; River Cooter — a pale c-shaped mark or rings on the side plates. The head marks: Smooth Softshell — plain or several yellow stripes, no patch; River Cooter — several yellow stripes, no patch (these overlap, so it only helps).

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Smooth Softshell

Apalone mutica

River Cooter

Pseudemys concinna
Smooth Softshell vs. River Cooter: comparison sheet with the differences marked

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

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