Kat_tgsb
03-19-04, 11:30 PM
A large female Softshell turtle has been living in our pond for about 10 yrs now. My mom first noticed her when I was really young. We used to feed the pond on a daily basis and she would come up to eat, but we have slacked off the past couple of yrs. I saw this turtle lay eggs last yr, and have seen her basking on logs fairly regularly. The last time she was seen alive was this past Sunday afternoon. Unfortunatly this afternoon I was in the back and noticed a large something floating, so I headed out in a canoe. I looked her over when I got her up out of the water and she has no visible injuries. Measurements for everything but weight(we think it's about 30-40lbs.) Skull length:5" Shell width:14.5" B. Shell length:13" T. Shell length:19.5" And her longest claw was 1".
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/503/3699crop1.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/503/3699crop1.JPG