Rare turtle found in the UK to be moved to specialist Cornwall wildlife centre

The alligator-snapping turtle, named Fluffy, was found near a lake in Cumbria

Author: Megan PricePublished 11th Feb 2024

An alligator snapping turtle, which was found near a lake in Cumbria, will be moved to a specialist wildlife centre in Cornwall

The turtle, which has been named 'Fluffy', will be put in warmer waters to speed up its metabolism.

They are normally found in swamps in Florida.

The rare animal was spotted by several people at Urswick Tarn and was picked up by Urswick Parish Councillor Denise Chamberlain, who reportedly put it in a shopping basket and took it to Wild Side Vets in Barrow.

The dinosaur-like species get their appearance from their armour-style shells.

They have jaws strong enough to bite through bones, and have been described as 'dangerous.'

The turtles can grow to 100cm long and weigh up to 90kg.

Read more: Alligator-snapping turtle found at Cumbria lake

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.