Officials were able to safely remove a large “dinosaur-like” apex predator that was surprisingly spotted at a Washington beach.

In late August, a parkgoer at Juanita Beach Park in Kirkland, about 10 miles northeast of Seattle, spotted an alligator snapping turtle. As UPI reported, the turtle was captured by a lifeguard supervisor at the park, with assistance from animal control and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Kirkland Parks & Community Services officials made sure to snap a few pictures of the snapping turtle after capturing it and posted them to social media with a warning for those who may encounter one in the wild.

“While they may look interesting, snapping turtles are invasive and can be aggressive,” the Instagram post said. “Their powerful jaws can cause serious injury, so if you see one, please keep your distance and alert a lifeguard or park staff.”

The alligator snapping turtle, the largest freshwater turtle in the United States, has spikes along its shell that give it a prehistoric look. It’s so big and distinctive that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refers to it as “hulking” and “dinosaur-like.”

The turtle is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Species and as an invasive species in Washington. This means that it has the ability to cause damage when introduced to a new environment. It can do this by eating native plants and animals or by outcompeting them for valuable resources.

But just because these turtles are invasive in Washington, that doesn’t make them dangerous or invasive everywhere in the United States.

In fact, alligator snapping turtles play an important role in the ecosystems of many rivers across the South and Midwest. Their predatory nature helps keep certain fish populations under control and removes dead fish from waterways.

In 2024, Kansas wildlife officials released 40 alligator snapping turtles into the Neosho River, attempting to reintroduce the species to a waterway where it had been absent for 30 years.

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