Common Name
spiny softshell

Iowa Range
throughout Iowa

Habitat
sand or mud-bottomed lakes, fast flowing rivers

Description
Unlike most turtles, the softshells lack horny scutes on the shell. Instead they are covered in a leathery skin. The carapace is olive to tan with "eyespots" and dark blotches or line around the shell's edge. The front of the carapace is lined with tubercles. There is a lateral ridge on the nostrils that extends from the septum. The feet are strongly streaked or spotted.