A Unique Turtle Rescue

While walking the dogs last Saturday in Fort Myers, we turned the corner and discovered this large turtle wandering the sidewalk. She was at least 100 feet from the nearest lake so Sam came to her rescue. Clutching the sides of her shell, he lifted her and quickly walked to the edge of the water. Her clawed legs were waving wildly and her pointy-nosed head stretched unbelievably far to try and snap at Sam's fingers. Once he let her down in the grass, she needed a nudge to get her going in the right direction. Swiftly, she scampered and slid into the safety of the murky muddy bank.  We discovered that she is a unique turtle called the Florida Softshell Turtle. With their flat, leathery shells and distinct tubular snouts, this species has sadly been heavily harvested for their meat.  The males grow to 14 inches and the females up to 24 inches in length. This old gal had a shell the size of a Thanksgiving turkey platter!