“Please be careful while entering and exiting your home,” an email from a Maryland apartment complex said. “Please be mindful of your kids playing outside and while walking your pets.” The email came after residents at the Lighthouse at Twinlakes Apartment Home complex reported what looks like an “alligator” on the loose at the property. However, the reptile appears to be a tegu lizard, animal control officials said. Tegu lizards are legal pets in Maryland. It is unclear whether the animal has been caught or who it belongs to. Below is a photo of the lizard shared by apartment resident Nelson Achuo when it was spotted.

****UPDATE*** to Beltsville alligator story. Here is a photo of the creature from when it was spotted- from apartment resident Nelson Achuo. Animal control officials have since said it appears to be a tegu lizard, which are legal pets in Maryland. @WTOP https://t.co/CHK02Kxe1E pic.twitter.com/JWCU7AZXPm

— Nick Iannelli (@NickWTOP) August 18, 2023

The tegu are any of seven large, carnivorous, tropical South American lizards of the family Teiidae, according to Britannica. WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.