- The endangered loggerhead turtle was spotted by a sailor off Portland Bill, Dorset
- It is believed the creature mistook the unusually warm British waters for the Canary Islands
- Last known sighting of a loggerhead turtle in Dorset was in 1938
The 4ft loggerhead turtle was seen as it made its 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic from the east coast of America.
It is thought the unusually warm UK waters fooled the creature into thinking it had arrived in the Canary Islands.
The turtle was spotted by a sailor off the Dorset coast. It is believed the turtle mistook the warm waters of Britain for the Canary Islands where it usually migrates to at this time of the year
The turtle was spotted by sailor, Jim Davies, off Portland Bill in Dorset.
Mr Davies was fishing on his 23ft motorboat when he caught a glimpse of the animal which is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
'I was out on my boat on my own doing a spot of fishing when I saw a large creature just under the surface about 200ft away,' he said.
'At first I thought it might be a giant ocean sunfish but then it surfaced about 30ft away and I could see it was a huge turtle.'
Mr Davies, who is a RAF squadron leader added: 'It looked up at the boat and we locked eyes. As soon as it saw me it dived back under the water and I didn't see it again.
'I was quite surprised to see it - turtle sightings are rare enough in UK waters but afterwards I found out it was a very rare loggerhead turtle.
'I have done a lot of diving abroad and seen turtles before but I have never seen one in the UK.
'It was a wonderful creature and I feel very privileged to have seen it close up.'
Visits to British shores from loggerheads are incredibly rare, with the last reported sighting of a lin Dorset in 1938.
In 2012 there were 45 sightings of the more common leatherback turtles in UK waters, but only four loggerheads were spotted which were all dead.
Dr Peter Richardson, a biodiversity programme manager for the Marine Conservation Society, said: 'To see an adult loggerhead in British waters is quite unusual.
'We do get them coming to our waters occasionally but they are usually stray juveniles with a very low tolerance for our cold waters
'This loggerhead will have almost certainly come from the east coast of the USA and will have been drawn here by our unusually warm waters.
'The recent warm weather not only heated up our seas but also resulted in very healthy jellyfish stocks which turtles feed on.
'Loggerheads will travel great distances from their feeding to their breeding grounds and the likelihood is once our waters start cooling down this turtle will head home.'
Loggerheads are the most temperate species of marine turtle, with breeding grounds in the Mediterranean and the east coast of the USA.
They only feed in waters above 15C and cannot survive in waters colder than 10C.
The turtles, whose latin name is Caretta caretta, nest on beaches and get their name from their unusually large heads.
They feed on crabs, mussels, clams and jellyfish, and can weigh up to 400lbs.
Earlier this week a dolphin was spotted swimming up the River Dee in North Wales and in Chester.
Davina the Dolphin swam over 30 miles up the River Dee in North Wales, entertaining many holidaymakers on its way
The 6ft short-beaked common dolphin stunned crowds with a display of leaps and clicking noises along the 9 mile stretch of water.
She has since been safely returned to the sea, where she will no doubt rejoin the pod she strayed from last week.
Tropical swordfish found in the nets of North Sea fisherman
Swordfish usually found in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans has landed in the nets of a North Sea fisherman.
The fish was caught on Wednesday morning by Ian Wakenshaw on the Beverly Ann, a catamaran fishing boat used to catch wild salmon and sea trout off the Tyneside coast.
It has since made its way to a local fishmonger, Rob Latimer, who was delighted to see the swordfish turn up in his daily delivery.
Mr Latimer said: 'It's spectacular, it is really nice to see such an unusual fish on our shores and it shows off what we have in the North Sea.
'This is the second swordfish I have come across in five years. We have also caught a few Tuna of late as well.
'I was expecting lobsters, crab and a few squid. The last thing I expected to be selling is a swordfish!'
'I have had a lot of interest from customers who have came in to see the fish on the counter.
'I think the customers will appreciate its freshness. I will be cutting it up today and having a bit for my tea!'
Tyneside fishmonger, Rob Latimer, was thrilled to be handed a rare swordfish in his daily delivery on Wednesday morning. The fish is usually found in more tropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans
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