soft-shelled turtle

noun

any of numerous aquatic turtles of the family Trionychidae, inhabiting North America, Asia, and Africa, having the shell covered with flexible, leathery skin instead of horny plates.

soft-shelled turtle

any freshwater turtle of the family Trionychidae, having a flattened soft shell consisting of bony plates covered by a leathery skin

First recorded in 1765–75

Bartram's description of a soft-shelled turtle has provided the basis for the proposal of at least three name-combinations.

Kellogg (1929:26) wrote that stomachs of two alligators each contained one soft-shelled turtle.

In the rivers and swamps there are soft-shelled turtle (Trionyx and Sternothaerus).

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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