Alligators in the Sewers

Have there ever actually been alligators in the New York City sewer system or is that just an urban legend?

Maria, Williamsburg

As much as we might want to see an update of 1980's Alligator or a sequel to 1999's Lake Placid (Lake Placid 2: Alligator Boogaloo, anyone?) we're glad that those movies aren't documentaries. We have enough problems with the plumbing in our apartment to worry about predatory reptiles snaking their way through the pipes.

According to Snopes.com the idea that alligators could live in the putrid New York City sewer system is just an urban legend. Alligators may have occasionally made their way to the New York area - read this old New York Times story which seems to have been written by the Jayson Blair of 1935 - but none actually thrived in the raw sewage and drain water coursing underneath city streets.

If you're really into alligators and their cousins, check out Croc Week starting today on the Discovery Channel. Crikey!