A spiny softshell turtle’s head emerges from a shallow pool of water. Spiny softshell turtles lay eggs in Missouri this week on sand- and gravel bars along streams and ponds. Take a canoe or kayak out ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The broad-shelled river turtle (Chelodina expansa) falls into a group known as side-neck turtles.

In cartoons, when a turtle is spooked, it retreats into and closes up its shell. While used for comic effect, this imagery is based in fact — although not all turtles are capable of this protective ...

Turtles are often unfairly maligned as fish killers that ruin the ecosystems of our ponds, rivers, and streams. The facts are that many turtles are omnivores and consume large amounts of aquatic ...

Hans-Dieter Sues - Curator, Paleontology, National Museum of Natural History In a fit of pique, according to one of Aesop's fables, the god Hermes made the animal carry its house forever on its back.

It's a long-held idea that turtles can tuck their heads into their shells when threatened. But is it true? And is this protective trick why turtles the world over have shells today? The answer is that ...