Two fishermen find small South American crocodile in Missouri R

SUGAR CREEK, Mo. -- A couple of fisherman were just looking for catfish in the Missouri River near Kansas City when they saw something looking back at them.

The something turned out to be a caiman, and after eating the bait off their fishing hooks, it crawled out of the water onto the river bank near where they were standing.

A caiman is a small South American crocodile similar to an alligator, said Nick Laposha, district supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

"If it's an alligator, then it's in our jurisdiction," Laposha said, "but it's a caiman. It's not a native species. Alligators are federally protected."

After several hours of trying to capture the caiman, Sugar Creek police officers killed it as a potential threat.

The animal, most likely a dwarf caiman, was 4 to 5 feet long, Laposha said. He thought it was probably a discarded pet.

"They're common in the pet trade," he said. "Somebody had it and turned it loose. They couldn't feed it anymore or it got too big."

Laposha said the reptile probably wouldn't have survived a Missouri winter if left alone.