June 12 (UPI) -- Authorities in a South Carolina coastal town were surprised to discover a shelled creature found wandering through a neighborhood was a non-native tortoise.
The Surfside Beach Police Department said the animal found wandering in the area of 13th Avenue South and Ocean Boulevard wasn't a sea turtle that wandered out of the water, but rather an escaped pet tortoise.
"Upon collaboration with DNR and other wildlife experts it's been determined this is most likely a pet," the department said on social media.
The post was later updated to report the tortoise's owner had been found and the reptile was returned home.
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