An alligator-like creature later identified as a caiman was caught Sunday, March 5, by Ike Peyton from Delaware County, writes Neirin Gray Desai for the Daily Mail.

Peyton was fishing at FDR Park in South Philadelphia when he spotted the 3.5-foot animal relaxing on the shore at about 10 a.m.

He captured it with his hands, wrapping its jaws closed with caution tape before reporting it to the police.

The creature was taken to the local animal shelter ACCT Philly.

Nicknamed Cay Man, the creature stayed in the director’s office so it wouldn’t eat the other animals.

‘The room in which we usually keep non-cats and dogs had turtles and bunnies and guinea pigs. Things that they eat,” Director Sarah Barnett said.

Cay Man was turned over to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

There was a raging online debate over whether Cay Man was a caiman or an American alligator. A zookeeper identified it as a caiman, a species native to Central and South America.

Cay Man was likely an exotic pet bought by someone online. It grew a lot bigger than the owner liked, and they released it at FDR Park.

Caimans are not native to any part of the U.S.

Read more about this unusual discovery in the Daily Mail.

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CBS Philadelphia reports on the discovery of the caiman.

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in March 2023.