A dead turtle caused quite a scare when a resident spotted it in a SW Miami-Dade County canal Tuesday Feb. 14,  morning. Not exactly the Valentine's Day suprise expected. The animal was initially reported to be a bear because of its size and large claws.

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However, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the animal was a freshwater Alligator Snapping Turtle. It was estimated to be about 4 feet long and well over 200 pounds. Officials believe the turtle died a few days ago because it was very swollen. It was found floating on its back in a canal along Southwest 102nd Avenue.

Lt. Pat Reynolds, of the FWC, said a resident had seen the turtle a few days ago and thought it was sick. "She took a stick and pushed it away and thought maybe it would eat the little ducks," Reynolds said. "Maybe it was sick or it just died of old age or something."

Residents were relived that the animal was a turtle. "I think a lot of neighbors are at ease that there are no bears in the back yard," Reynolds said.