Caters/AquaMike/InstagramA reptile enthusiast took in a baby albino turtle who looks like a mini dinosaur, and now he’s asking for help naming the little creature.
Mike Aquilina, who is known as AquaMike on social media, adopted the unusual-looking reptile from an albino turtle breeder earlier this month.
The baby turtle’s condition has left her with a golden and white-patterned shell and a pale body, though her most interesting characteristic is her incredibly long neck, which makes her look like a tiny extra from Jurassic Park.
Check out the cute creature in action:
Mike shared an image of his new family member on Instagram, where he explained the turtle is a ‘Albino Florida Softshell’ who is still yet to be named.
Florida Softshell turtles are known for having long necks, but Mike himself admitted he ‘wasn’t prepared’ when he watched his new pet extend her head towards the sky.
The turtle’s anatomy makes her look like a teeny-tiny dinosaur and the video of her stretching out her neck prompted many of Mike’s followers to comment a little dinosaur emoji – and one person to ask whether he had actually adopted a giraffe.
The reptile enthusiast has asked for help naming the little creature and, unsurprisingly, many people have used the albino turtle’s appearance for inspiration.
His followers have suggested calling the creature ‘Nessie’, ‘Goldie’, ‘Brachiosaurus’ – a long-necked dinosaur – ‘Custard’, ‘Buttercup’ and ‘Lemon Drop’, though it seems none of those have made the cut.
Mike is already the owner of a tiny turtle called Hope, who has an unusual condition in which her heart actually beats out of her chest, so some people have suggested following a similar theme when naming the newest addition by recommending names such as ‘Faith’ or ‘Grace’.
Caters News AgencyThough numerous people have offered ideas the owner hasn’t revealed a name just yet, so there’s still time to get your suggestions in!
Mike, who is ‘passionate’ about animals, will no doubt want to come up with a worthy name for his unique pet as he aims to give his creatures ‘all the love that [he’s] got to give’.
Caters News AgencyHis website explains:
I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life, but I’ve always been a creative guy who is passionate about animals.
Putting that passion out into the universe has rewarded me in ways that I’d probably say were impossible a little over a year ago. I am very excited to be on this journey and figuring it out along with all of you.
My mission is to save animals… I am also here to educate people about animals as well as help spread hope to everyone who could use some!
It will be great to see what Mike chooses to call the tiny dinosaur!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.