Missouri Animals Eastern spiny softshell   (Trionyx spinifer spinifer) Chordate: Vertebrate: Reptile: Testudines: (Turtles) Native North American turtle Habitat: large streams, rivers, lakes.. Diet: crayfish, insects, snails, fish, tadpoles, salamanders.. ID Features: olive green body, soft shell, pancake-thin body, long neck. Natural History: The eastern spiny softshell turtle is a common aquatic turtle of Missouri. Females are larger than males and can reach sizes of 17 inches in diameter..

The graphics and text are from: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom R. Johnson, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1992