'Satan' Appears on Turtle's Shell

MICHIGANTOWN, Ind – The owner of a turtle that was the only survivor of a pet shop fire says he sees an image of Satan's (search) face on its shell.

"The marking on the shell was like the devil wanted us to know he was down there," Bryan Dora said. "To me, it's too coincidental that the only thing to come out unscathed would have this image on it."

The palm-sized red-eared slider turtle, named Lucky, was the only animal to survive a fire last October at Dora's A-Dora-ble Pet Shop (search) in nearby Frankfort, about 40 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

Dora and others can spot lips, eyes, a goatee, shoulders and a pair of pointy horns on Lucky's back.

The image was not visible before the fire, and Dora speculates the intense heat might have caused the shell's color to change. The turtle is healthy and there was no change in its behavior, he said.

Dora has produced a DVD of the turtle's survival story and the pet shop's history, including footage of the fire. He titled the DVD "The Pet Shop Story of Lucky the Turtle."

He planned to auction the video on the Internet. He said he will offer the winning bidder the opportunity to buy Lucky offline.

The cause of the fire that destroyed nine businesses and offices in the 1912 building in downtown Frankfort has not been determined.

"Turtles can hold their breath quite awhile," Dora said. "He may have taken one breath just before and held it through the fire. Except that the fire went on and on for hours."