Found giant crocodile tortoise in residential areas in the US

A 30kg turtle has just been found in a residential area in Fairfax County, Virginia. Its enormous size has baffled locals.

This newly discovered turtle is called Lord Fairfax . This is a crocodile turtle , one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, and certainly this turtle is not in the right place.

Crocodile tortoises usually live in rivers in the southern area rather than a suburban residential area. Authorities found the turtle near a pond in a residential area in Fairfax County, Virginia, according to CNN.

The newly discovered crocodile turtle is called Lord Fairfax. (Photo: Fairfax Police).

Nobody knows how the tortoise got there. Authorities speculated that this could be a captive turtle.

Despite weighing 30kg, Lord Fairfax is just a young turtle. When fully grown, it can weigh up to 90kg.

"If you want to raise a turtle as a pet, please find out what it takes to keep a turtle long-lasting," Virginia's Fisheries and Entertainment Authority said.

The tortoise does not harm the local community, but it is likely to slowly die from cold or hunger if not found, the agency said.

Luckily for Lord Fairfax, a biologist took the turtle away and now has a new home at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.

Fairfax police said on June 15 that their animal control unit received a call on May 28 about a 'big turtle'.

The tortoise may be a pet thrown away by its owner after it becomes too big, said JD Kleopfer, a Virginia biologist who helped rescue the turtle.

Mr. JD Kleopfer with Lord Fairfax. (Photo: Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries).

Mr. Kleopfer said the turtle has been seen twice in the past few months. Fairfax County animal control officials first called Mr. Kleopfer in March after they found the turtle near a pond holding rainwater in a residential area. But when Mr. Kleopfer called the police the next day, they took the turtle back to the pond.

A few weeks later, animal control officials called Mr. Kleopfer back and said the turtle had come out of the pond.

Mr. Kleopfer said the tortoise may 'dislike the pond' because the pond is too small.

He said it is rare to see a crocodile turtle on land for so long because it 'loves to live underwater'. He added that the species prefers to stay at the bottom of a river and is called the crocodile turtle because of its powerful jaws.

'If you put your hand in its jaw, I bet it would break or break,' he said.