Reggie has a friend

Somehow, I'm not surprised by this news. A second "crocodilian" has been spotted near Harbor City, this time in a flood control channel that feeds into Machado Lake. That's the lake where an American alligator, dubbed Reggie by its former owner, has been eluding capture and vamping for the media for several weeks. The new creature seems smaller, and might be—yes—a South American caiman, the Daily Breeze reports.

Greg Reagan, a 48-year-old electrician, discovered the animal at about 4 p.m. when he walked behind his Harbor City Estates mobile home on Lomita Boulevard in Harbor City to feed the turtles and ducks that live in and near the channel that runs below his property.

"I looked over on the bank and there's this alligator," Reagan said. "I thought, 'Holy cow.' "

Reagan called the city's Animal Control Department to file a report but was still awaiting a visit from a field deputy as the sun went down. Native to the southeast United States, alligators are not naturally found in California.

As they waited, several residents and area children came out to watch.

"The kids are all just fascinated, I think," Townsend said. "I don't think it's going to hurt anyone. I just hope the kids don't scare it off because then it's going to hide."

Here is the last installment of the Reggie saga.