A Michigan police department discovered an unusual visitor when responding to an animal call, finding a South American crocodile in a resident's front yard. 

The 3-foot reptile was found sitting under a crab apple tree in the front yard of a West Hampton Road home Tuesday afternoon in Central Michigan's Bay County, the Hampton Township Public Safety Department reported. 

The crocodile – at first thought to be an alligator – was safely corralled and taken to the care of Wilderness Trails Zoo in Birch Run. 

Authorities have not learned how the reptile got out into the wild. Crocodiles would not normally be seen in the wild in Michigan. The National Geographic says their range can include Florida, but is usually Central and South America.

"See ya later, Alligator. In a while, Crocodile," police said in their social media post, referencing a classic children's rhyme.