Life Cycle of Florida Softshell Turtles

The Florida softshell turtle is an omnivorous aquatic turtle native to Florida and the southeastern United States. These turtles can live up to 30 years in the wild and even longer under controlled conditions in captivity. The Florida softshell turtle grows from a tiny embryo in an egg to a one- to two-foot long adult.

  1. Embryo

    • The Florida softshell turtle begins its lifecycle as an embryo inside of an egg on land. The turtle spends the majority of its life in the water, and rarely comes on land--only to lay eggs or hatch. These eggs cannot be laid in the water because their shells need to be exposed to air to exchange oxygen properly. The embryo develops over the course of approximately 70 days from the time the egg is laid to the time it hatches.

    Hatchling

    • The hatchling softshell turtle emerges and spends the majority of its time, as it will for most of its life, swimming in lakes, ponds or streams and burrowing in the soft muddy bottom. At this stage in its life cycle, it is very small and vulnerable at only one to two inches in length. It is only large enough to eat aquatic vegetation, small fish, snails, larvae and other tiny invertebrates.

    Juvenile

    • A juvenile turtle, though only three inches long, can eat larger prey. This stage of the softshell's life cycle lasts until it reaches four inches or so, and this can take weeks to months depending on the availability of food.

    Sub-Adult

    • Depending on the gender, the sub-adult stage of the turtle's life cycle lasts until males reach approximately nine inches in shell length and females reach approximately one foot in length. At this point, the turtle has reached sexual maturity. The turtle is now much larger, and can eat larger prey items, including crayfish, larger fish and worms.

    Adult

    • The adult softshell may continue to grow until it reaches a foot in length for males, and two feet for females. The turtle can now eat very large prey items, even rodents or birds that can be found closer to the water where the turtle lives. This is the longest and final stage of the Florida softshell turtle's life cycle.