Florida wildlife officials say a man was attacked last month by a kinkajou, a small, raccoon-like animal native to Central and South America.

Michael Litersky, 37, noticed the exotic creature outside his girlfriend's home in Lake Worth on the night before the attack and left it some watermelon, according to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission. When he opened the door to leave for work the next day around 5:45 a.m., the kinkajou was waiting for him.

"The Kinkajou immediately attacked him, biting him on the ankles," the report read.

The sound of Litersky's screams woke his girlfriend, Gillian Hicks, who told the Palm Beach Post she thought someone had broken into their apartment.

"It was not a nice kinkajou, it was superaggressive,” she told the Post.

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Although kinkajous typically eat fruit and nectar, they are classified as carnivores and have sharp little claws and teeth, according to the San Diego Zoo. When Litersky realized he couldn't force the animal back outside, he trapped it in the bathroom.

The attack left scratches and bite marks on Litersky's right leg, calf and shin bone as well as the inside of his left foot. Four hours after the attack, deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and animal control officials opened the door and secured the animal.

Once safely inside an animal travel enclosure, the kinkajou was taken to a licensed fish and wildlife facility. Kinkajou owners in Florida would likely need to apply for a Class III wildlife permit, but officials said there are no such permit holders in the area where the attack occurred.

"It sounded like a 300-pound man was tackling him in the kitchen," Natalie Dulach, who shares the apartment, told WPEC. "We'll probably never forget this. Everybody is like, 'Only in Florida.'"

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kinkajou attack: Florida man injured by exotic creature