It was found behind an apartment building in Brooklyn, not in the sewers of Manhattan; it isn't particularly big (under two feet long, police say); nor is it even, strictly speaking, an alligator (it's a caiman). Still, press reports on yesterday's discovery of an abandoned saurian are likening it to the age-old urban legend about discarded pet alligators thriving in the New York City sewer system. Some say the creatures grow to monstrous size and turn white due to the lack of sunlight.

The urban legend is false, of course, but "gator" sightings do occur with some regularity in New York and environs, odd as it seems. The last such incident happened five years ago, when a specimen of similar size -- dubbed "Damon the Caiman" by city officials -- was captured in Central Park. Though illegal in the city, caimans can be bought on the Internet and are sometimes kept as pets, only to be abandoned when they outgrow their welcome.

Read more about it:

• NYC Police Capture 'Caiman-In-The-Box' - Associated Press
• It Caiman from the Cold - New York Post
• An Alligator in New York - 2001 - About.com
• Alligators in the Sewer - An Urban Legend - About.com