This Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017 photo provided by J. Craig Willams shows a four-foot-long crocodile monitor, a lizard that can grow to eight feet long, sunning itself on a hedge in Williams' backyard in Riverside, Calif. It's a relative of the famous Komodo dragon, native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and it's legal to own them in the California. It's currently in the custody of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, and if the owner doesn't claim it, the monitor will be sent to a sanctuary for exotic animals. (J. Craig Williams via AP)
Republished November 02, 2017 - 9:42 PM
Original Publication Date November 02, 2017 - 7:51 PM
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A lizard that can grow to be 8 feet long has been found in Southern California, thousands of miles from its native land, and authorities think it's a pet gone astray.
The 4-foot-long crocodile monitor was spotted sunning itself on top of a hedge Wednesday afternoon in the backyard of a Riverside home.
The crocodile monitor is a relative of the famous Komodo dragon. It's native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia — not California — but it is legal to own them in the state.
It's green and yellow with big claws, a long tail and a forked tongue.
The big lizard is now being held by Riverside County's animal services division. If the owner doesn't claim it, the monitor will be sent to a sanctuary for exotic animals.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017