Photos by Donna

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If you recall, I had taken and shared my mystery wildlife photo a couple months ago taken in Alabama that had me so curious to confirm what it was, I contacted a reptile group.  I thought it was a huge snake!

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Mystery Wildlife – Softshell Turtle (a.k.a. baby hippo! hehe)

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There are several species of softshell turtles in North America, the largest of them is the Florida softshell turtle.  At our campground last month, there were several that basked in the sun each day around the ponds.

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Florida softshell turtle

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The Florida softshell turtle ranges from 6 to 30 inches (15 to 76 cm) in length.  Adults females are often 3-5 times larger than males!

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Florida softshell turtles along with another unidentified turtle

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Florida softshell turtle

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It was neat to actually get to view these turtles after having seen a glimpse of the one previously that had piqued my curiosity!

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