On June 3^rd a three to four foot reptile was spotted by, hydrographic tech, Martin Bazabal. He saw it in the middle of the road near Imperial Dam. At first he thought that is was an alligator but when he got closer "…I could see the head was more like a snake." The sighting had Yuma speculating about Komodo dragons and such.

On June 30^th a BLM biologist identified the beast as a water monitor. 

Authorities speculate that somebody dumped their "pet "when it got too big. The public is warned to stay away as these guys can run faster than a man and will lash their tail like a whip, bite and claw.

Source AP