Society

Man catches giant foreign turtle while fishing

Updated: 2006-08-16 09:03

A man in Tianjin unexpectedly caught a strange turtle with a rough carapace and powerful hooked jaws, weighing up to 7 kilograms, while fishing in a river over the weekend.

Experts found it to be an alligator snapping turtle, the largest of its species that has been introduced into China from North America as a pet. Its owners probably set it free to the river, they said.

Such alien species should not have been put in local waters as they may threaten local species and even damage their biological chain, they said.

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