An alligator snapping turtle was caught by a fisherman named Sun Yongcheon in Weishan Lake, Anhui province, China.
Alligator snapping turtles are not native to China because it can only be found in North America. It is the largest of the North American freshwater turtles. Alligator Snapping Turtles are characterized by a large, heavy head and a long thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales.
The spokesman for the Jining Fishing Bureau said this was the first time an alligator snapping turtle had been found in their local water system. It was probably someone’s pet before being dumped in the lake, the local fishing department said. The creature’s alien status meant that it could have posed a danger to the local ecological system, they added.
The alligator snapping turtle measures 76 cm long and 30 cm wide and weighs 7 kg. The fisherman was surprised after catching this striking creature. “I suddenly noticed a black thing was hooked on the net, which scared me. It was struggling and biting the net when I pulled it up,” he said.
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