Cowabunga! Massive Tortoise Spotted on I-40 in Arkansas
Cowabunga! That's a popular phrase used in the movie "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" but it could also be used to describe an 85-pound Tortoise that was discovered traveling down I-40 in Arkansas on Sunday.
The tortoise is known as Potato and this apparently is the third time the Sulcata tortoise has escaped from its owners' backyard in Little Rock, Arkansas. Chelsea Hattaway told a Little Rock TV station KRLT that Potato was weighed 25-pounds when she adopted her nine years ago. The massive tortoise was being kept in an enclosure three doors down at her parent's home as reported to the Arkansas Gazette.
I have to tell you I've seen plenty of small and large turtles in the middle of the road that I dodged while driving but I think I would be in shock to see an 85-ponder crawling down the road, attempting to cross an overpass. Luckily a neighbor spotted Potato on a driveway and I'm just happy they were able to wrangle the tortoise and get her back home safely. Hopefully, this will be the last time this tortoise tries to escape otherwise we may have to call it a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Watch this video from Fox 16.
About a Sulcata Tortoise
Adults can average 18 inches in shell length and 70 to 100 pounds in weight, but specimens reaching two to three feet in length and upwards of 150 pounds aren't uncommon. Sulcatas are very social animals with very unique personalities but will hiss like a snake if provoked. According to most sources, they are very docile and make great family pets just make sure you check with local laws to see if you can own one in your state.