This distinctive freshwater turtle owes its name to a flexible shell with inconspicuous spiny projections along the front edge. It also boasts a long snout that acts as a snorkel. Spiny softshell turtles feed on crayfish, molluscs, fish, amphibians and vegetation. They are highly aquatic and can stay underwater for up to five hours, getting nearly half the oxygen they need by breathing through their skin.
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Wildlife Preservation Canada
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Guelph, ON N1H 6J2
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Territory Acknowledgement
WPC is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario on the homelands of many nations, including the Anishinaabek, Neutral, Métis, Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We work across Turtle Island, and have deep gratitude to all the Indigenous Peoples who have been, and continue to be, stewards and protectors the lands on which we rely.