Softshell turtle has most distinct evolutionary history among Canadian species, study finds

The most Canadian animal? It’s not the beaver that marks the nickel, the moose that pervades souvenir shops across the country, or the loon that gave the one-dollar “loonie” its name.In fact, the spiny softshell turtle is Canada’s most distinct animal in evolutionary terms, researchers from Simon Fraser University show in a first-of-its-kind study.