Florida-native alligator snapping turtle found in small English lake

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- An alligator snapping turtle, a freshwater reptile native to Florida, surprised veterinarians when it turned up in a small lake in England.

Dominic Moule, a veterinary surgeon at Wild Side Vets in Cumbria, said the reptile, which sports a bite strong enough to break bones, was discovered in Urswick Tarn, a small lake near Ulverston.

Denise Chamberlain, an Urswick parish councilor who spent time living in Florida, recognized the animal and captured it herself.

The turtle, nicknamed Fluffy, was taken to Moule's clinic, where he quickly confirmed the animal was not a native species.

"They look quite prehistoric," Moule told ABC News. "It does almost look like a little dinosaur."

Moule said alligator snapping turtles are freshwater reptiles and do not migrate, "so there's no way the turtle got across the ocean, it would have certainly perished on the journey."

He theorized Fluffy was probably kept as an exotic pet and was abandoned.

"Somebody probably had him or her and didn't realize the care that was required and it became a bit overwhelming. So they decided to release the turtle and they thought the local pond was the best place," Moule said.

Moule and his colleagues are now caring for Fluffy, and the turtle will eventually be sent to a specialist wildlife center in Cornwall.