Pet tortoise returns home after missing overnight | Families

In fables and real life, tortoises aren't typically known for their speed. But for one Pell City family, their tortoise's ability to move at three miles per hour gave them a scare when their beloved pet went missing for almost 24 hours.

Bethany Howell says her family's pet tortoise "Brennan" went missing Friday morning after he escaped their back yard at their farm on Sunset Drive. The family believed the 10-year-old tortoise was either lost somewhere in the acres surrounding their home or was possibly picked up. Howell emailed Fox 6 for help, saying their 90 pound tortoise was "not like a regular turtle" and wouldn't be able to survive in the wild on his own.

Thankfully, Brennan found his way home on Saturday, "exhausted from his long journey," Howell said in an email update.

The Howell family might never know what kind of adventure their pet tortoise went on when he escaped their yard, but it sounds like they're just thankful he's back at home.

"Hopefully he won't have another journey, he is faster than people think," Howell said.