Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Florida softshell turtle
Aggressive; eats fish and anything it can swallow.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Florida softshell turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Florida softshell turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Florida softshell turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Aggressive; eats fish and anything it can swallow. Needs a very large pond.
Check your local laws. CITES Appendix II since 2023 (as Apalone spp.; Appendix III 2016-2023). US: live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length may not be sold. Florida: take or transport of all wild freshwater softshells is prohibited (FWC Executive Order 21-19, 2021) and commercial harvest and sale of wild Florida softshells is banned. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Not for home aquariums. This fish grows far too big for any home tank. It needs a pond-sized system of thousands of litres, so please don't buy one as a baby.
Good to know: Needs a basking dock with UV and heat lamp and deep water. Never house with fish.
- wood
Food
Fish, shrimp, worms and pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Females are far larger (usually 28-63 cm shell, record about 67-74 cm) with short tails that barely pass the shell rim; males (usually 15-33 cm) have long, thick tails with the vent well beyond the rim.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate
Egg-layer: females nest on land in sand or well-drained soil from mid-March to July (sometimes in alligator nests) and may lay 2-7 clutches a season. Sex is genetic, not set by nest temperature.
Pair.
Large pond with sand.
Warm season.
Usually 17-22 eggs per clutch (mean about 20; reported range 4-38); 4-6 clutches a year, so large females can lay over 200 eggs a year; incubation about 56-80 days.
Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.
- Undersized tank and weak filtration
- No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
- Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the florida softshell turtle
The largest New World softshell turtle, native to Florida and the adjacent southeastern USA.
German naturalist Johann Schneider described the Florida softshell in 1783. It is the largest North American softshell. It is mostly found in Florida.
First described by Johann G. Schneider in 1783.
- Females can exceed 60 cm in shell length.
- Its leathery shell lacks hard scutes.
- It can breathe through its throat skin underwater.
Sources
13 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Reptile (softshell turtle, Trionychidae), not a fish. No subspecies. Hybridises with A. spinifera where they meet (Reptile Database).
The Reptile Database: Apalone ferox · Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (Rhodin et al.) 2025, Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas, 10th ed. (IUCN SSC TFTSG, Chelonian Research Monographs 10) - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
The Reptile Database: Apalone ferox - Size
Carapace length. Extreme sexual size difference: females usually 28-63 cm (record SCL 67.3 cm, curved 73.6-73.8 cm), males 15-33 cm. FWC gives smaller Florida averages (females 24-30 cm). Legacy 45 cm is inside the female range; males stay much smaller. Largest New World softshell (ADW).
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (Rhodin et al.) 2025, Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas, 10th ed. (IUCN SSC TFTSG, Chelonian Research Monographs 10) · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Softshell Turtle - Group size
Solitary; large softshells may dominate smaller ones in captivity, so keeping singly is the safe default.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox - Lifespancorrected
Legacy 25-50 years. Sources: captives often over 20 years, record 36 years 8 months; wild lifespan unknown. Nothing supports 50 years.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Softshell Turtle - Temperament
Also eats fish, amphibians, small turtles and occasionally birds (ADW), so it is not a community animal.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox - Swimming level
Also basks on logs, banks and floating vegetation (FWC, ADW).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis Biodiversity Center): Apalone ferox - Where it livescorrected
New value (legacy had none). Introduced to Louisiana and Texas (TTWG) and California (Reptile Database).
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (Rhodin et al.) 2025, Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas, 10th ed. (IUCN SSC TFTSG, Chelonian Research Monographs 10) · Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis Biodiversity Center): Apalone ferox - Male or femalecorrected
Legacy female 'up to 50 cm' understates size: females reach 60+ cm (ADW; TTWG max SCL 67.3 cm). Tail character added.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Softshell Turtle - Breeding
Buried land clutch and warm-season nesting agree with legacy.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 10-30; sourced range is wider and clutches are repeated many times a year.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis Biodiversity Center): Apalone ferox · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Softshell Turtle · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox - Story
Agrees in substance.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Apalone ferox - traits.legalcorrected
Legacy mentioned only the US 10 cm rule; CITES Appendix II and Florida rules added. FWC also asks people not to move softshells because of turtle frasiervirus 1. US federal rule (FDA, 21 CFR 1240.62, in force since 1975): live turtles under 4 in (10.2 cm) carapace length and viable turtle eggs may not be sold or distributed commercially; exceptions include bona fide scientific/educational/exhibition use (not pets), non-business transfers and labelled export-only shipments. Salmonella hand-washing advice in legacy text was not separately sourced.
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (Rhodin et al.) 2025, Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas, 10th ed. (IUCN SSC TFTSG, Chelonian Research Monographs 10) · US Fish and Wildlife Service: U.S. Turtle Species Included in CITES Appendices (May 2024) · US eCFR 21 CFR 1240.62 (FDA): Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements · Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Softshell Turtle