# Spiny softshell turtle (*Apalone spinifera*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/spiny-softshell-turtle  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a species in the family Trionychidae, order Testudines. Recorded adults weigh about 4.77 kg and live up to 25.2 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.77 kg |
| Length | up to 5.4 cm |
| Lifespan | 25.2 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 50 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Egg incubation | 60 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 9 – 38 |
| Age at maturity | 8.99 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Trionychidae
- genus: Apalone
- species: *Apalone spinifera* (Lesueur, 1827)

Synonyms: *Amyda ferox hartwegi*, *Amyda ferox spinifera*, *Amyda spinifera*, *Amyda spinifera hartwegi*, *Apalone hudsonica*, *Apalone spinifera hartwegi*, *Aspidonectes asper*, *Aspidonectes californiana*, *Aspidonectes emoryi*, *Aspidonectes emyda*, *Aspidonectes georgii*, *Aspidonectes nuchalis*, *Gymnopus olivaceus*, *Platypeltis agassizii*, *Trionyx annulifer*, *Trionyx ater*, *Trionyx ferox hartwegi*, *Trionyx ferox spinifera*, *Trionyx ocellatus*, *Trionyx ocellatus*, *Trionyx spinifer guadalupensis*, *Trionyx spinifer pallidus*, *Trionyx spiniferus*, *Trionyx spiniferus*, *Tyrse argus*

## Common questions

### How big is the spiny softshell turtle?

An adult spiny softshell turtle weighs 4.77 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### How long does the spiny softshell turtle live?

The spiny softshell turtle has a recorded lifespan of 25.2 years.

### What kind of animal is the spiny softshell turtle?

The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) belongs to the family Trionychidae in the order Testudines.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS)](https://griis.org/), CC BY 4.0, 2026-11-13. Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group.
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4

Cite as: Spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spiny-softshell-turtle