Apalone ferox
—
Florida Softshell
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/000652_Florida_softshell.jpg)
The 83 acres of Fairchild Tropical Garden are home to a wide variety of native and introduced herps. In addition to several of these softshells, we also saw brown anoles, green anoles, bark anoles, a Knight anole, and a dozen large green iguanas. A few American alligators inhabit the lakes on the garden grounds too, though we didn't see them.
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/019834_FL_softshell.jpg)
Four years later, and the turtles at Fairchild Tropical Garden haven't changed much, or even moved much. They are real live turtles though, I assure you.
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/04020408PD_softshell.jpg)
When I arrived at Fairchild Tropical Garden shortly after it opened, I spotted this turtle trundling slowly across dry land. But when it saw me coming it put on a burst of turtle speed and dove into a shallow pond. Once in the pond it was perfectly content to hang around nearby, but it sure didn't want to get caught on land.
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/08031503PD_softshell.jpg)
Now that's a big, weird-looking, leathery turtle with a funny snout. It's soft shell has certainly seen its share of scratches.
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/13032315PD.jpg)
If anything, they are even weirder looking when basking on the shore than when floating in the water.
![Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)](../images/herps/standard/21030321L.jpeg)
I hadn't been back to Fairchild in a number of years, so I was obligated to take more photos of this species there.
Printed references:
- Bartlett, R. D., Bartlett, P. B. 1999. A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles and Amphibians
- Behler, J. L., King, F. W. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians
- Carmichael, P., Williams, W. 1991. Florida's Fabulous Reptiles & Amphibians
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition
- Ernst, C. H., Barbour, R. W. 1989. Turtles of the World