A Pennsylvania man reportedly missed his flight after being caught with a live turtle hidden in his pants.

A Pennsylvania man reportedly missed his flight after being caught with a live turtle hidden in his pants. The discovery was made while he was passing through security at a New Jersey airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration, New York Post reported.

TSA agents conducted a pat-down after the traveller set off alarms while walking through the body scanner at Newark International Airport last week. The agents then realised something was hidden near the man’s groin.

When officers asked the man what he was concealing, he reached into his pants and pulled out a live turtle wrapped in a towel.

The man revealed on the spot that the 5-inch critter was a red-eared slider turtle, known to be popular pets. The turtle was confiscated and the man was escorted out of the airport by Port Authority police. It is unclear if the man, who is from East Stroudsburg, is going to face charges or penalties for carrying the turtle.