Crazy Crocs

Third Green Warning: Cryptid Reptile Loose

The lay of the land near Stivers Lagoon. Watch out for the water hazards on the nearby golf course. Another report of a huge, unidentified reptile? Let’s put the latest sightings in their NoCal context. The reptile spotted by two people at a Fremont, California, golf course last week remains at large, and there are no plans to look for it again unless someone else sees it, officials said. A week after initially being alerted to a supposed 3-foot-long reptile – possibly an abandoned illegal pet caiman – in the water near the third green at Fremont Park Golf Center, [...]

Cougar Eats, Gator Attacks, and Hyena Kills Humans

Just in case you forget, as you go out looking for cryptids, yes, animals do attack. Animals are doing what animals do. Two surfers have been killed by sharks off the west coast of Mexico this spring, and people continue to be have less than warm and fuzzy encounters. There are breaking announcements and news this week of some violent and deadly confrontations of the natural history kind. A cougar attacked, killed and partially ate a New Mexico man living in a trailer, authorities announced on Tuesday, June 24, 2008. A search party found the body of Robert Nawojski, 55, [...]

Wild Yangtze Alligator Rediscovered in Anhui

Fishermen in the eastern province of Anhui (near Hefei) have found a wild Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), which is being called a living fossil, and tracks of another, local authorities said on Monday, June 23, 2008. The Chinese or Yangtze alligator is native only to China. It is smaller than the other alligator species, the American alligator, growing to an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) in length. Some Chinese specimens have been known to be 7 feet long. Unlike the American Alligator, the Chinese alligator is fully armored; even the belly is armored which is a feature on only [...]

Cape Cod Gator

On Sunday, June 22, 2008, Massachusetts got into the out-of-place alligator business. Welcome to another summer of errant crocs in North America! Barnstable police and Barnstable Natural Resource officer responded to a Hyannis resident who reported finding an alligator resting under his car, on Hiramar Road. The animal was described as 3-feet in length and about 60 pounds, said Natural Resources Officer Thomas Murray. The call came in as a 911 call and at first police were not sure if the caller was joking, reported the Cape Cod Times. They obviously haven’t read the recent “Crazy Crocs” items on Cryptomundo! [...]

Chicago River Gator

On June 20, 2008, the alligator above was caught in a branch of the Chicago River, Illinois; it measured 4½ feet long and about 45 pounds. The alligator was found in the Bubbly Creek, in a woodsy area near 37th Street and Racine Avenue, which at one time was one of the dirtiest parts of the river. It just stayed submerged with its eyes popping out like in the documentaries. It was in stealth mode, I think.Bill Cox, director of human resources for Midland Metal Products Cox was among about a dozen Midland employees who spotted the female alligator swimming [...]

Crazy Crocs: OH, VA, MD, & MI

The Sheriff decided to carry the photo of the Saltville gator to show folks, because no one believed him. More “crazy crocs” have made their way into mini-media mentions. The “crocs” is shorthand for “crocodilians,” of course, and thus includes alligators, crocodiles, gharials, caimans, and kin. Ohio On Monday, June 16, 2008, an “urban alligator,” as it was cutely called by Channel 19 Action News, was spotted resting on a south Columbus, Ohio, street, under a sports utility vehicle (SUV) owned by the Edwards family. Police were called and they found an American alligator, about 3 1/2 feet long, next [...]

Crocodile in South Carolina

The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has a northernmost range that occasionally stretches into northern Florida, with individuals wandering as far north as Palm Beach County on the east coast and Sarasota County on the west coast. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a widely distributed species, ranging from northern South America to the tip of the Florida peninsula and the Pacific coast of Mexico. In the latter, the mouth of the El Fuerte River (25º 49’ N, 109º 24’ W), in the state of Sinaloa, is considered its northernmost stronghold. However, there are historical accounts of American crocodile populations farther [...]

Current Crazy Croc Encounter

Chad Arment has passed along updates on a 2 to 3 ft long crocodilian being sighted and photographed in Hickory Lake, North Carolina. Seen for a week now (since Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008), it remains uncaught. Eyewitnesses thought it was an alligator, but official speculation, at first, said it was a caiman. N.C. Department of Wildlife Agent Michael Juhan was quoted by the media saying as much. “It may have been a caiman, which is not unusual for people to have as an exotic pet before releasing it into the wild,” Juhan said. While caimans are not native to [...]