Montrose Police Officers Respond to Report of Alligator on Home’s Porch

The Montrose Police Department was dispatched to investigate a report of a foot long alligator that had found its way onto a resident's porch. When an officer arrived, he got quite a surprise.

The alligator turned out to be a salamander. A rather large salamander. The amphibian unofficially measured 8-inches long, not a foot as reported. Still, that's large for a  salamander in Colorado. Salamanders have a tendency to be nocturnal which is the most likely reason this one wasn't seen until after 10 p.m.

As if this story isn't already strange, Colorado's state amphibian is a western tiger salamander. In Colorado, the salamanders are typically three to six inches long but can occasionally be as much as 14-inches long. According to State Symbols USA, the tiger salamander is the only documented native amphibian to live in all 64 Colorado counties.

So, when you see a salamander in Colorado, give it the respect it deserves as the official state amphibian and leave it to do what it does best, eating bugs, slugs, and worms.