A Softy for Softshells

There is a spot along the lighthouse road where we have seen softshell turtles on several occasions. These turtles are found mostly in Florida but range to other states in the extreme southeast. On a recent trip we saw one of these jump into the air, flip around and almost sprint back into the vegetation as a truck passed it without slowing at all. We watched, stunned and thoroughly amused to see a large turtle behaving in such a way. I read that softshells are among the fastest turtles on land. The jump and flip combo was amazing!

I love their flippery feet and their snorkely nose.

I did not get very close to this turtle; I used the zoom lens as they have powerful jaws and do bite. Look at  how translucent its skin is!