Invasive Alligator Snapping Turtle Caught in Oregon

An alligator snapping turtle was caught in Oregon last week, Simon Wray, Conservation Biologist at the Oregon Department of fish and Wildlife announced. The turtle is native to the south-eastern United States and is considered an invasive species in the state.

Alligator snapping turtle is also called the "dinosaur of the turtle world," due to its spiked shell, scaly tail and beaklike jaws. Fish is the primary food source of the turtle but it can eat ducklings too. The turtle can be aggressive and even bite people. These turtles can weigh over 250 pounds and can live for 50-100 years.

The turtle was removed from the Prineville Reservoir. Wray believes that the turtle must have been a pet and was released into the water as it got too huge to keep.

"People get these turtles when they are small and release them when they get too big and aggressive to keep as pets," he said. "It's a poor choice for a pet and the environment."

Rick Boatner, the department's invasive species coordinator told statesmanjournal that these turtles are rare in the Western part of the state.

"I'd hate to see these turtles get established in Oregon," he said, statesmanjournal reported. "We already have problems in the Willamette Valley with common snapping turtles."

People with unwanted turtles can contact ODFW so that the turtle can be euthanized. The agency has also requested the public to report any alligator snapping turtle sighting in the state.

The alligator snapping turtle has no other predator other than humans that kill them for meat and shell. Some parts of the country have imposed a ban on catching the turtles in the wild.