alligator snapping turtle is the "common name", they have a latin one for posh
that one was noticed in a lake district tarn, so i guess maritime weather and a bit of global warming have provided it a habitat in a new land
they come from the swamps of the southern USA where they are more feared than the gators and big snakes by skinny-dipping and bushcrafty locals
as they do not look like alligators, the name is perhaps based on habits rather than looks.
fluffy is quite a small one, big uns can bite through a canoe paddle or take an adult hand in one chomp
Well at least it is unlikely that we will get more than one or two released into the wild in the UK then. The temperature is not consistently high enough for the eggs to hatch.
reps have been around for a long time and have discovered assorted ingenious ways to care for their eggs/youngsters
it is not impossible that there are suitable microclimates in the uk for quite a few types of "alien" reps to breed successfully if a pregnant female gets lucky with a random location and the conditions are good for a mixed male/female litter
i can think of a swamp in kernow that would be perfect for them