The sewer gator spotted in Astoria over the weekend is really an 18-inch long caiman (Caiman crocodilus), and was only found near a sewer drain. After being taken in by Animal Care & Control, the one-year-old reptile will be brought to an animal sanctuary in the Poconos. (He's going to love those champagne glass baths!) According to the NY Post, yesterday he was being kept under a 100-watt heat lamp in Brooklyn, where an ACC director theorized on how he could have ended up in Queens.

Michael Pastore told the paper, "Someone probably dumped him there. My guess is that someone obtained it as a pet, brought it home, and Mom and Dad threw it out on the street." Maybe they read somewhere that this thing could grow up to 6-feet long!

The critter hasn't been given a name yet, but Pastore added this little heartbreaking detail about his rescue: "He did let out a couple of little yelps, and if you've ever seen a nature show, a baby alligator would let out a little yelp to the mother when it is in trouble."