Man needs stitches after trying to 'kiss' alligator snapping turtle
He may have been trying to do it a good turn, but this man got more than he bargained for when he attempted to set an alligator snapping turtle free.
The young man apparently wanted to kiss the creature goodbye before returning it to the wild, but the aggressive turtle attacked him unexpectedly and bit his lip.
The reptile refused to loosen its grip for several minutes and the man had to be sent to hospital for stitches.
The alligator snapping turtle is found primarily in southeastern United States waters.
Alligator snappers are opportunistic feeders that are almost entirely carnivorous. In general, they will eat almost anything they can catch.
Their natural diets consist primarily of fish and fish carcasses (often ones that are thrown back into the water by fishermen), molluscs, carrion, and amphibians, but they are also known to eat snakes, crayfish, worms, water birds, aquatic plants, and other turtles.
They may also, on occasion, prey on aquatic rodents, including nutrias and muskrats or even snatch small to mid-sized other mammals, including squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and armadillos.
And, sometimes, human lips.
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