An alligator snapping turtle native to the US south has been pulled from a lake in northern England.
The dinosaur-looking, spiky creature was named Fluffy by its surprised rescuers, referencing a large three-headed dog in the Harry Potter book series.
Fluffy was first spotted bathing in Urswick Tarn, a small lake in Cumbria, by a dog walker who posted about it on Facebook, local media reported.
Local parish councillor Denise Chamberlain recognised the species, having seen alligator snapping turtles in the wild in Florida, where they roam swamps and rivers eating mainly fish.
Ms Chamberlain, an experienced reptile owner, used a shopping basket to fish the turtle out of the lake and took it to a local vet clinic, the BBC reported.
Knowing the creature could snap bone with its jaws, she wore three pairs of gloves while retrieving it.
“I was anxious on two levels,” she told the BBC.
“One, was actually catching it without losing a finger, but also, what was I going to do with it?”
It is not illegal to own an alligator snapping turtle in the UK, but they are not recommended as pets due to their complex needs.
Kate Hornby, the owner of the clinic that took Fluffy in, suspected the animal was abandoned at the lake by owners who couldn’t keep up with its care demands, the Guardian wrote citing PA Media.
“Doing a lot of research into the particular species you’re looking at keeping and making sure you’ve got the appropriate housing and appropriate knowledge is important”, Dr Hornby told PA Media.
It is the first time the clinic has come across an alligator snapping turtle.
“They are kept in the UK but they’re certainly not a common thing you would see at the vets,” Dr Hornby said.
She estimated the animal to be about five to six years old.
“We haven’t been able to identify whether it’s male or female due to its size – but we’re calling it Fluffy for now”, Dr Hornby said.
“It would certainly give you a nasty nip and it could probably do significant damage to a finger or finger end, but at this size, it’s not particularly dangerous.”
Alligator snapping turtles tend to sit in shallow waters with an open mouth to catch fish, Dr Dom Moule, a vet at Wild Side Vets, told AP.
“There’s a little red part just inside the mouth, which is part of their tongue, and that actually represents or replicates a worm. And then fish will see it, be tempted over by it and then it will snap out with it,” Dr Moule said.
Still young, Fluffy is likely to grow “exponentially” and reach 80 kilos, he said.
Fluffy will be relocated to a specialist reptile centre on Monday.
The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the United States. They can live for up to 70 years.
