A wild alligator snapping turtle has been found for the first time in eastern Oregon. The turtle, with its strong jaws, feeds on small animals such as ducks, fish and rodents. It was removed from Oregon's Prineville Reservoir last week and immediately euthanized.
District biologist Greg Jackle told the Statesman Journal: "We euthanized it as soon as we got it back to the office. It's obviously a very large turtle that was not something that we've ever seen over here before."
The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world and are found in southeast United States. However, the turtles are considered to be invasive in the state of Oregon.
The carnivorous turtles consume almost any kind of meat, including beef, chicken and pork.
These reptiles are commonly kept as pets, but handfeeding the aggressive turtle is known to be dangerous. Some states outright ban the turtle as pets. But in states such as Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, the alligator snapping turtle is protected by state law.
Simon Wray, an ODFW conservation biologist, told Fox 12 that he believes that the turtle recovered in the wild in Oregon was probably released into the reservoir by its owner.
"People get these turtles when they are small and release them when they get too big and aggressive to keep as pets," said Wray. "It's a poor choice for a pet and the environment."
See a video of the alligator snapping turtles below:
