Debunked Myths

The legend of sewer-dwelling alligators has prowled New York City's mythology since the 1930s. Stories describe baby alligators brought from Florida as souvenirs, then flushed down toilets when they grew too large, eventually adapting to the dark tunnels and breeding into monsters. The myth gained credibility through occasional discoveries of small alligators in the system.

Biology thoroughly debunks sustainable sewer alligator populations. New York's sewers average 60°F—far too cold for alligators to digest food or maintain metabolic functions. They require temperatures above 70°F to survive and would quickly succumb to hypothermia, pollution, and lack of proper food.

This myth taps into our fascination with wild nature surviving in human-made environments. It represents the ultimate urban wilderness fantasy—that beneath our controlled cityscape, a primordial world continues unchanged. The sewer alligator persists as cultural metaphor rather than biological fact.