Dangerous Alligator Snapping Turtle Found In Smithtown

SMITHTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Authorities caution that an abandoned alligator snapping turtle found on Long Island over the weekend is a dangerous reptile.

It was discovered by a kayaker and his son in a stream in Smithtown at the intersection of routes 25 and 25A.

The Suffolk County SPCA said the 25-pound turtle is powerful enough to bite off toes or part of a foot.

"The jaw strength on it is just absolutely incredible," SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.

As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported, the reptiles are mainly found from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.

"Obviously somebody dumped this or abandoned it," Gross said. "All I can tell you is that if you do something like that you are facing criminal charges."

The agency is trying to figure out how it ended up on Long Island. Gross is confident that someone had it for a pet and then released it.

"Stick to your furry animals, having something like this as a pet is really not a good idea," Gross said.

Abandoning pets is illegal, but it seems to be happening a lot lately. An alligator was taken in off of an Inwood street just a few weeks ago.

"Over the past 4-5 years jumped up 60-75 percent over what we've seen in the past," Lt. Tom Gadomski, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said, "There are more and more people out there that think they're neat to have because no one else has them."

The public is also more aware, and people are afraid of getting caught, so they let the animals go.

Alligator snapping turtles have strong hooked beaks. Their shells have three serrated ridges along their backs. They can stay on the bottoms of rivers, lakes and canals 40 to 50 minutes at a time.

On October 10, the Suffolk County SPCA will host amnesty day. If you have an illegal pet you can surrender it at the Holtsville ecology site, no questions asked.

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