Spiny Softshell vs. Eastern Musk Turtle

The shell: Spiny Softshell — soft, flat and leathery; Eastern Musk Turtle — hard, with plates. The shell pattern: Spiny Softshell — dark spots or rings on a leathery shell; Eastern Musk Turtle — plain, no pattern. The head marks: Spiny Softshell — several yellow stripes, no patch; Eastern Musk Turtle — two pale stripes, above and below the eye. The ridge on the shell: Spiny Softshell — no ridge — smooth; Eastern Musk Turtle — no ridge — smooth or one low, smooth ridge (these overlap, so it only helps).

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

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Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison