Animal control officer Jenny Selter admitted she didn't know what to do when she came upon the 5-foot-long, black-throated monitor lizard on the sidewalk outside a condo complex on Jan. 25.
"I really thought I would be rolling up to discover it was just an oversized garden lizard. This was no garden lizard," Selter told KTLA.com.
Instead, it was a gigantic 45-pound reptile with a docile demeanor -- until Selter approached it with a catchpole often used to collar dogs.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services, told MSNBC.com. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Though the monitor lizard had started hissing and swinging its tail, Selter and a Riverside police officer managed to get the reptile into an animal control vehicle and bring it to a shelter.
In California, it's not illegal to own one of the carnivorous lizards, which are indigenous to parts of Africa, according to PE.com.
Experts believe this reptile was likely a pet that got away -- and they hope the owner will come and pick it up soon.
Read more at KTLA.com, MSNBC.com and PE.com.
Romney Argues Big Spending Cuts Would Cause 'Depression,' Contrary To Tea Party Activists
Juror Flirting With John Edwards
A New Murdoch Scandal Emerges
Obama's Pot-Smoking Detailed
The Mortgage Mess: Just How Many Screwups Were There?
Devils Down Rangers, Headed To Stanley Cup Finals
GOP Governor Signs Bill Banning Islamic Law
The Story Behind Clinton's Porn Star Picture
Pedro Hernandez Charged In Etan Patz Death
Scott Walker Recall Race May Be Tightening
WATCH: Fox News Besieged By Technical Difficulties
Romney To Pay More In Taxes?
Cory Booker Goes Off Message, Everyone Freaks For A Week: The Speculatron Weekly Round-Up
Joe Biden Recalls Thoughts Of Suicide
More Trouble For Rick Scott
Over 50 Reportedly Killed By Syrian Forces
Police: Indiana Gunman Who Held Hostages Shot Self In Head
JPMorgan Risk Committee Missing People With Experience Monitoring Risk
GOP Congressional Candidate Accuses Opponent Of Spying On Campaign
Geologists Confirm Possible Jesus Crucifixion Date
Kentucky Derby Winner's Trainer SUSPENDED
Tom Coburn Gets Big Penalty From Fellow Senators
WATCH: Meghan McCain Lashes Out At Republicans
Arianna Huffington: The Inspirationals: Jeff Skoll, Doubling Down on the Things That Work
What Bin Laden's Wives Revealed
