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A sewer alligator is an urban legend and myth centered around alligators which lives in sewers, in areas which an alligator would not typically be found in, such as New York City or Paris. These accounts are mostly fictional and are rare to encounter.[1] Stories date back to the late 1920s and early 1930s; in most instances they are part of contemporary legend.
The New York Times reports the city rescues 100 alligators per year, some directly from homes where they are kept as illegal pets (which can be legally ordered online in other states and are legal to mail when small), and some from outside (where they can attract considerable attention) though mostly above-ground.[1]
Though escapees and former pets may survive for a short time in New York sewers, longer-term survival is not possible due to the low temperatures and the bacteria in human feces.[1] Sewer maintenance crews insist there is no underground population of alligators in sewers.[2]
A similar story from 1851 involves feral pigs in the sewers of Hampstead, London.[2]
- ^ a b c Corey Kilgannon (February 26, 2020). "The Truth About Alligators in the Sewers of New York". The New York Times.
- ^ a b David Mikkelson (July 10, 1999). "Can Alligators Live in Sewers?".