Welcome to Pita, the spiny softshell turtle!

Welcome to Pita, the spiny softshell turtle!

As some of you may have seen on our social networks, we welcomed a new resident to the ecology laboratory in the Exploration Center of Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles last week.

So, without further ado, here's a sneak peek at Pita, the spiny softshell turtle. Pita was given to us by the Granby Zoo, which already has a few specimens of this species, to support us in our mission to raise awareness.

About this species...

This species is known as a soft-shelled turtle due to the absence of scales on the back and plastron, which are instead covered with leather-like skin. The relatively flattened carapace is olive to pale brown, with small circular black spots on the males. Females have darker, more diffuse spots. Since its carapace is, as you might guess, soft, it has found ways to protect itself from predators by burrowing into the mud or sand of the bodies of water it inhabits.

It can rely on its long neck, which it stretches out to breathe. They can also practice buccopharyngeal respiration, which consists in absorbing oxygen through the mucous membranes of the mouth by sucking in and expelling water from the maw. What's more, because its legs are heavily webbed, this turtle is able to move very quickly underwater.

Strictly aquatic, the spiny softshell turtle can be observed sunning itself on rocks or tree trunks, or laying eggs along streams.

The spiny softshell turtle is very rare in Canada, being found in only a few locations in Quebec and Ontario. Its distribution in Quebec today is limited to the Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain and the Rivière aux Brochets in the south of the province. It is the only remaining population in the province and is being monitored in Quebec.

Come and say hello!

If you'd like to meet her and learn more about her, we invite you to take part in our guided activities including a tour of the laboratory or an exclusive tour of the laboratory with one of our biologists on March 14.

Photo credit: Francis Allaire