2 for 1 tickets to Singin' In The Rain, this coming Monday. Book now

CALDICOTT What is as big as a dustbin lid, green and eats ducklings? The answer, wardens at a country park have found, is a 20lb (9kg) alligator snapping turtle (Simon de Bruxelles writes).
A native of the southern United States, it is thought to have been abandoned in the pond at Caldicott Country Park, Monmouthshire, nearly 20 years ago, during the craze for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The turtle, 29in (74cm) from nose to tail, has been named Snappy by park wardens and has now outgrown his adopted home on a diet of ducklings and fish.
Denis Manning, the head warden, said: “He is king of the pond and will eat anything he fancies. Nothing is safe when Snappy is around. He spends most of his time in the depths of the pond but I’ve often seen him feeding on the surface. He eats anything but he has a particular fondness for ducklings.
“He is like a vicious submarine. Visitors have reported seeing a dustbin lid moving by the pond because that’s what he looks like.”
Alligator snapping turtles thrive in warm, humid conditions and can live to 150 years old.A tortoise and turtle charity has now found Snappy a new home at a sanctuary in West Wales.
Enjoy screenings of all the classic films you love, plus take advantage of two-for-one tickets
Have you ever dreamed of owning your own racehorse or a beautiful painting?
Enjoy comfort, safety, space and great design. Plus enter our great competition
Times Online's new TV show helps you make the right decisions for your pet
Are you California dreaming? Explore the wonders of the Golden State. Also enter our fantastic competition
Do you have what it takes to be a Times photographer?
Your brain is capable of more than you might think...
Find out to make the most of your money with our wealth management guides
Need help with your property? We have an entire how to guide - buying, selling, letting, moving, to help you
We are seeking entries for the inaugural Sunday Times Best Green Companies Awards
Enjoy some wonderful inspiring wildlife moments
An interactive preview of the brand new For Your Eyes Only exhibition

Love Sudoku? Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizes

Are you irritable when you return from work? Drained of emotion? You could be suffering from boreout
Prepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers. Despite the greens trying to wipe it out, the car is about to offer us the most exciting year ever
We've trawled the brochures and websites to find this summer’s best holidays for every taste and budget

Overseas contacts and local business information

Everything you need to know, own or do

Direct from the farms
2007/07
£57,500
South East England
2007/07
£40,995
South East England
2006/06
£41,995
South East England
Great car insurance deals online
£40-55k+benefits+uncapped commission
Morgan Keating
South East
Up to £30,000
GLE
London
£
c£75,000 + executive benefits
Morgan Keating
London and South
Unpaid with travel expenses
Network Rail
Globrix, the property search engine
Visit Times Online Property for homes for sale or rent
Residential development site with planning permission
£1,500,000
Mortgages, bank accounts & money transfers to help you buy abroad
Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa 7 nights
From £1830 per person – saving £530.
Walking & multi-activity holidays in Cauterets. Stylish self-catering apartments.
From 350€ for 7 nights.
SAVE 25% on Sandals Luxury Resorts
Great travel insurance deals online
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Search globrix.com to buy or rent UK property.
© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
That is not an Alligator snapper. Alligator snappers have larger heads shaped like the end of a cut log (hence the nickname "loggerhead), a more larger, promanant carapace and shorter legs. They also have more overall armor. I garuntee you that it is a large Chelydra serpentina and not a Macroclemys temmincki
Sirus, Boca Raton, FL
Just what you need to keep the cats out of your flower beds :)
qwerty, manchester, uk
That is most definitely an Alligator Snapper. The shape of the head and the front legs are a dead give away.
æ°¸ å, Pensacola, FL
Even more ironic is that Snappy is not a fully grown snapping turtle. I have accidentally caught snapping turtles that are another 10 lbs heavier and much bigger shell right here in New Jersey.
Greg G, Voorhees, New Jersey, USA
Exactly, that's a Chelydra Serpentina, as Mark says, a common snapping turtle and would not live 150years.
Peppe Di Mauro, Naples, Italy
That's not an Alligator Snapping Turtle, it's a Common Snapping Turtle, an unrelated species. Both bite! :)
Mark Robertson, Gainesville, Florida, USA
I would like to know Snappy's secret to longevity is - eat
plenty of ducklings?
Jerry Scroggin, Phoenix, Arizona/USA