By Melissa Carlson, KTVN-TV

Northern Nevada is flooded with myths, folklore and talk of “strange sightings,” but a report from a Carson City family of a possible alligator in Lahontan Reservoir may actually have some teeth.

It was a normal kayaking trip for 12-year-old Andrew and his mom of Carson City last weekend. They were near Beach 8 in the south end of Lahontan Reservoir when Andrew says he saw what looked like a log in the water. So, like any kid, Andrew went to check it out, and realized it was not a log.

“I saw the eyes and the top of a head that looked like an alligator,” Andrew says. “It was dark green and had tough-looking skin.”

But, this wasn’t just another 12-year-old boy with an active imagination. Tony Beauregard, the supervisor for Lahontan Reservoir Park, says he has gotten three reports of alligator sightings. He says visitors have estimated the alligator to be about 6-feet long and says rangers have investigated each and every sighting.

“Our best estimate is they’re schools of carp, and about four to five feet long,” Beauregard says.

They haven’t found any evidence of an alligator, like tracks or dead animals.

Chris Healy of the Nevada Department of Wildlife says they haven’t gotten any reports, and while this may sound a little fishy, it could actually be a case of bucket biology. “People decide ‘hey, I don’t want this fish,’ or in this case, a small alligator, and instead of calling the authorities and having them deal with it, they dump it,” Healy says.

We’ve seen it before with giant goldfish in Lake Tahoe and picca, the cousin to the piranha, in Paradise Pond. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s not necessarily strange, Healy says.

So, will Andrew be back? He says yes, but adds, “I really don’t want to swim in [Lahontan Reservoir] now.”

If you are out on the reservoir and see something strange, please let a ranger know.