Taugra
“Monster turtle” © Spencer Tracy. Accessed at polycount here
[The original South Carolina sighting called it an “alligator man”, but the actual description was a mishmash of reptilian traits. So I figured focusing on its turtle aspects was as good as anything.]
Taugra CR 5 LN Monstrous Humanoid This bipedal, vaguely humanoid turtle stands nearly twice the height of a man. It carries a gnarled staff in its broad, clawed hands.
Taugras, referred to some as “ogre turtles”, are patient and wise denizens of the densest swampland. They are nomadic hunters and gatherers that feed on a wide variety of animals and plants, although they prefer fishes, crustaceans and mollusks if given the opportunity. Taugras have an innate ability to control and commune with plants, and they tend to get along well with the rare treants that dwell in swampy land. They consider most humanoids to be too flighty to get along with, but tribes of lizardfolk and other marsh denizens may view a taugra as a sage to be consulted for matters of import to the entire region.
Taugras live either alone or with a partner. Partners are typically sexual partners as well as friends, but taugras are rarely if ever monogamous. They are also indifferent parents, laying large batches of eggs that are left to fend for themselves as mundane turtles do. Juvenile taugras closely resemble mundane snapping turtles, and can be mistaken for them by the untrained eye. A taugra juvenile can live for decades as an animalistic predator before picking itself up on its hind legs and leaving the water to seek out its own kind.
A taugra stands about eleven feet tall and weighs nearly a ton.