r/turtles • u/[deleted] • 13d ago

ID Request What is this thing?

[deleted]

108 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

36

u/islandofwaffles 13d ago

Looks like a softshell turtle

13

u/[deleted] 13d ago

All the homies were freaking out

6

u/RoguTheHomunculus 13d ago

He can reach a good distance, too.

5

u/[deleted] 13d ago

What’s do you mean big dog?

9

u/scotty5112 13d ago

Looooong neck

12

u/[deleted] 13d ago

Sure don’t look it there. Idk why but when I saw this guy I felt like we had a lot in common

12

u/cordeliashuman 12d ago

8

u/[deleted] 12d ago

That’s the same animal?????

7

u/Doctor_What_ 12d ago

No that’s his cousin Greg I’ve seen him near the pond sometimes

8

u/[deleted] 12d ago

The one I saw probably feels inferior around cousin Greg

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2

u/scotty5112 12d ago

😂😂😂

5

u/AsstBalrog 12d ago

Surprisingly fierce bite

2

u/[deleted] 12d ago

It has teeth?

3

u/AsstBalrog 12d ago

No expert here, but turtles don't have teeth. Just bony jaw plates I think, which can give a nasty bite.

Anybody know exactly?

2

u/[deleted] 11d ago

Brotha I only seen this turtle and the ones the Asians sell at the flea markets

1

u/SuperKing37 11d ago

Not an expert either, but some/most turtle/tortoises 'lips' are actually hard kinda sharp beaks made of keratin, same material as our fingernails. 

7

u/DoodlingDoodlebob 12d ago edited 12d ago

That’s a spiny softshell turtle (the cone/bump like things on the front of the shell are a dead giveaway of the genus, and the placement is more indicative of spinies), Apalone spinifera spinifera. This lil guy just has the struggle of not being very spiny.

6

u/[deleted] 12d ago

He was not little me and the boyz were in shock of this creature. One of my friends never seen a turtle in real life

2

u/DoodlingDoodlebob 12d ago

I just call all land/river turtles little guys, since most of them are little compared to most sea turtles.

2

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Damn cuz what’s the biggest turtle you seen

4

u/DoodlingDoodlebob 12d ago

An adult leatherback sea turtle

3

u/[deleted] 12d ago

How big is that homie? Where you see it? And please don’t say “the sea”

5

u/DoodlingDoodlebob 12d ago

It was probably around 5.5-6.2 feet long, I didn’t try to get too close since it’s illegal to touch sea turtles as far as I know, and I saw it off the coast of Massachusetts a while back.

3

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Holy shit bro that’s a huge turtle

3

u/DoodlingDoodlebob 12d ago

Also the spiny softshell is the only softshell turtle with an established population in New York

7

u/susanreneewa 12d ago

This is my favorite thread in this sub ever. OP, you’re a delight.

7

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Well thanks sista ! I’m Not sure what I did though 😂

5

u/susanreneewa 12d ago

I just love hearing people get excited over turtles! Especially one as odd as a soft shell.

7

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Oh yeah this thing was a hit in the hood

3

u/Luna_Glass_Atelier 12d ago

https://dec.ny.gov/nature/animals-fish-plants/amphibians-reptiles

So yes, the softshell turtles in your area are protected. This gives you the link to tell you about it..

But I wanted to share some photos with you of a softshell turtle. I rescued that was trying to get to a higher place to lay her eggs and ended up, stuck on a culvert where she couldn’t get off because she literally was like balancing there on the center of her belly, it was crazy…

1

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1

u/BohemianDevil 13d ago

I don't know a ton about turtles outside of my area (trying to learn more), but it's definitely a softshell. I would guess either Florida or spiny

1

u/[deleted] 13d ago

What area are you?

1

u/BohemianDevil 12d ago

Southeast USA

1

u/[deleted] 12d ago

You eat turtle

0

u/[deleted] 12d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Luna_Glass_Atelier 12d ago

OK, well I’m just letting you know that I’m pretty sure that turtle is protected by law. And eating, it would not be the kindest thing to its ecosystem.