Hi Steemit family!

Characteristics of the soft-shelled turtle

Today I bring you a little about the life of a rare species that I discovered recently, is a turtle whose shell is soft its scientific name is Apalone ferox and has some different characteristics to other types of turtles such as its shell that has a consistency very similar to the cartilage of a human ear. This gives it more lightness and speed than other cousins.

source

source

The size of the female is proportionally larger than that of the males, being able to measure a maximum of 70cm and its maximum weight of 20 kg. The colors of this turtle are the olive green in its shell with some spots and the edge with this line of yellow. Below generally white.

source

Apalone ferox His nose is little elongated resembles a horn and has a fairly prominent neck, is designed to breathe without completely out of the water which helps him effectively when hunting and hide cautiously from their main predators.

His webbed extremities allow him to swim with great facility, his favorite place is the bed of the river where he clings with his legs with a natural nails that allow him to cling strongly in spite of the currents or the tranquility of the lakes where to wait patiently until some fish, crustacean or insect crosses in his way, and of a bite he is captured with his strong jaws sharpened like blades in the shape of beak.

source

Soft-shelled turtle habitat

soft-shelled turtle
This amphibian beauty is native to the southwestern United States of America and is found in the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, especially in lakes and swamps that do not leave the water unless they are in their reproductive stage.

source

Food

Basically, it is carnivorous, being the fish the preferred ones for its diet, despeus of frogs, mollusks, insects, although also it can feed on algae in difficult seasons. But its body is developed to be agile and capture animals that also have skills to escape easily. In short, they are excellent hunters.

source

Reproduction

soft-shelled turtles

Females reach sexual maturity when they reach 25 and 40 centimeters. These turtles usually reproduce once a year, although some have been able to make up to seven clutches in a year. The brood is related to the size of the female, the most common being between 18 and 39 eggs per brood.

source

Although these turtles are hunted for commercial use, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers them a "minor concern" for the time being.
This because they have a special technical breeding project which allows them to plan the hunt, due to the local consumption of their meat, even so they should protect themselves completely, because their artificial reproduction also puts at risk the gene in question, also could create an ecological disaster by introducing more species in the rivers and swamps, since the natural balance is only carried in the reproduction in the wild world and not in the laboratories.

source

It is necessary to raise awareness so that new generations do not follow this artificial path of reproducing turtles, one of the proposals is to create a natural park, where one of the famous species would be the soft-shell turtle.

Thank you for reading

If you liked reading this article, feel free to FOLLOW ME, UPVOTE and RESTEEM! It's always appreciated =D. Thank you all for your support and see you soon for the news flamingirl's adventures!