'Dangerous' turtle that can bite through bone found in Cumbria
Sky News
Updated Sat, 10 February 2024
A "dangerous" turtle with a jaw strong enough to bite through bone has been found in Cumbria - and given an unexpected name by vets caring for it.
Alligator snapping turtles are native to rivers and swamps in Florida, and are recognisable thanks to their armour-like shells, which give them a pre-historic, dinosaur-like appearance.
After a number of sightings, the freshwater reptile was retrieved from beside Urswick Tarn by local parish councillor Denise Chamberlain - who put the animal in a shopping basket and took it to a vet.
Dr Dom Moule told Sky News that he was "really surprised" when Cllr Chamberlain brought the turtle in.
He thought the mysterious reptile would be a loggerhead turtle or a terrapin. "I did not expect in the slightest for it to be an alligator snapping turtle," he said.
It was probably dumped by an exotic pet owner who didn't realise how difficult it would be to look after, Dr Moule added.
Staff at the vets are currently unable to tell what gender the turtle is as it is relatively small, but that hasn't stopped them from naming it.
"We've colloquially named them Fluffy," Dr Moule said. "In a strange way it does look quite cute, so we decided to give it a cute name."
While there's been no shortage of people offering to take Fluffy in, it's been decided that the reptile will be moved to a specialist wildlife centre in Cornwall.
Ms Chamberlain urged any exotic pet owners who feel unable to care for their animals to contact agencies such as the RSPCA and hailed the staff at Wild Side Vets in Barrow as "heroes" for dealing with the turtle.
Alligator snapping turtles are an invasive species which can "easily" bite through bone and "have been known" to sever human fingers, according to the Britannica encyclopaedia.
The turtles are hunters who typically feed on fish, frogs, small mammals and even other turtles. They can grow to 100cm long and weigh up to 90kg.
A dangerous turtle capable of biting through bones has been found in a tarn in Cumbria.
An alligator snapping turtle, which is usually found in swamps and freshwater rivers in Florida, Texas and other southern parts of the United States, are known to have extremely powerful jaws.
The creature was spotted by Great Urswick residents in the tarn – a small lake – on the edge of the village
After it was identified, parish councillor Denise Chamberlain took it to Wild Side Vets in Barrow.
The alligator snapping turtle was discovered in a small lake outside a Cumbrian village
(Wild Side Vets )
“It was starting to look quite sorry for itself. I rang various agencies who were unhelpful. Everyone thought it was a terrapin - it’s not,” she told the Westmorland Gazette.
They have a powerful bite and have been known to sever human fingers
(Wild Side Vets )
The turtle is now in the care of the local vets, who have been described as the “heroes” of the story.
The animals are known for their stocky armoured carapcae, which gives them a prehistoric appearance that often draws comparisons to dinosaurs.
Unlike other species of snapping turtles, their eyes are located on the sides of their head rather than their front, while their tails are long and thick.
They usually grow to some 80 to 100cm and weigh between 70 to 90kg, and live to around 45 years.
According to the Britannica website, they are capable of exterting a force of several hundred newtons, and can easily break bone and have been known to sever human fingers.
Sky News
Updated Sat, 10 February 2024
A "dangerous" turtle with a jaw strong enough to bite through bone has been found in Cumbria - and given an unexpected name by vets caring for it.
Alligator snapping turtles are native to rivers and swamps in Florida, and are recognisable thanks to their armour-like shells, which give them a pre-historic, dinosaur-like appearance.
After a number of sightings, the freshwater reptile was retrieved from beside Urswick Tarn by local parish councillor Denise Chamberlain - who put the animal in a shopping basket and took it to a vet.
Dr Dom Moule told Sky News that he was "really surprised" when Cllr Chamberlain brought the turtle in.
He thought the mysterious reptile would be a loggerhead turtle or a terrapin. "I did not expect in the slightest for it to be an alligator snapping turtle," he said.
It was probably dumped by an exotic pet owner who didn't realise how difficult it would be to look after, Dr Moule added.
Staff at the vets are currently unable to tell what gender the turtle is as it is relatively small, but that hasn't stopped them from naming it.
"We've colloquially named them Fluffy," Dr Moule said. "In a strange way it does look quite cute, so we decided to give it a cute name."
While there's been no shortage of people offering to take Fluffy in, it's been decided that the reptile will be moved to a specialist wildlife centre in Cornwall.
Ms Chamberlain urged any exotic pet owners who feel unable to care for their animals to contact agencies such as the RSPCA and hailed the staff at Wild Side Vets in Barrow as "heroes" for dealing with the turtle.
Alligator snapping turtles are an invasive species which can "easily" bite through bone and "have been known" to sever human fingers, according to the Britannica encyclopaedia.
The turtles are hunters who typically feed on fish, frogs, small mammals and even other turtles. They can grow to 100cm long and weigh up to 90kg.
A dangerous turtle capable of biting through bones has been found in a tarn in Cumbria.
An alligator snapping turtle, which is usually found in swamps and freshwater rivers in Florida, Texas and other southern parts of the United States, are known to have extremely powerful jaws.
The creature was spotted by Great Urswick residents in the tarn – a small lake – on the edge of the village
After it was identified, parish councillor Denise Chamberlain took it to Wild Side Vets in Barrow.
The alligator snapping turtle was discovered in a small lake outside a Cumbrian village
(Wild Side Vets )
“It was starting to look quite sorry for itself. I rang various agencies who were unhelpful. Everyone thought it was a terrapin - it’s not,” she told the Westmorland Gazette.
They have a powerful bite and have been known to sever human fingers
(Wild Side Vets )
The turtle is now in the care of the local vets, who have been described as the “heroes” of the story.
The animals are known for their stocky armoured carapcae, which gives them a prehistoric appearance that often draws comparisons to dinosaurs.
Unlike other species of snapping turtles, their eyes are located on the sides of their head rather than their front, while their tails are long and thick.
They usually grow to some 80 to 100cm and weigh between 70 to 90kg, and live to around 45 years.
According to the Britannica website, they are capable of exterting a force of several hundred newtons, and can easily break bone and have been known to sever human fingers.
No comments:
Post a Comment