A thief was so keen to get his hands on a pet alligator he risked his own safety by stuffing it up his shirt.
Police are now looking for the brash burglar who stole the reptile from a Pets & Things store in West Virginia.
The assailant managed to snatch the £195 animal from a tank after someone he was with distracted workers.
Once the unusual booty was safely under his vest he simply walked out of the animal shop.
But Anthony Williams, a member of staff, said the man would have been lucky not to have been bitten by the three-month-old reptile.
‘Babies have sharper teeth than the bigger kind. He probably was bit, unless he found a way to hold the snout shut,’ said Mr Williams.
He added they had found out who the thief was and passed his details on to the police after watching CCTV footage and realising he was a regular.
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