Animal 411
‘Alligator Turtle’ Stops Traffic Saturday on East Avenue
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What appears to be an ‘alligator turtle’—a reptile spotted in late July down by Mill Pond—stopped traffic Saturday afternoon closer to downtown. At about 3:45 p.m., pedestrians and motorists in the area of 116/118 East Ave.—not far from the intersection at Hoyt Street—paused over to ogle the large, scaled animal, which made its way into a bush. A police officer responding to a 911 call on the animal advised people not to put their fingers near the animal. Asked whether someone should contact the New Canaan Nature Center or a veterinarian out of concern for the animal’s welfare near motor vehicle traffic, the officer said there was nothing police could do. Typically found in the southeast, the creatures are scaly and have spikes on their backs.