"Alligators do not live in the Schuylkill River under natural circumstances," said the Schuylkill River Greenway communications director.
TikTok speculators have no proof, but also no doubt: There are alligators in the Schuylkill.
After seeing a video of a man waist-deep in the river, users worried about water contamination. Earlier this week, a commenter went as far as claiming to have done "deep research into the Schuylkill," encountering tales of finding human waste, dead bodies, and alligators.
Instead of wondering about the alleged bodies, users were shocked to hear about gators in the Schuylkill, and other creators began making their own videos in response.
Facing the birth of a myth, Rosemary Keane, the Schuylkill River Greenway communications director, denied the claim.
"Alligators do not live in the Schuylkill River under natural circumstances," Keane said, adding that the organization has been working to improve the quality of the river to support its native species (otters, trout, pike, birds, and insects). "As a result of this work, the Schuylkill River is healthy and thriving, home to many native species of wildlife and plants; alligators are not in that category."
But could the Schuylkill waters be conducive for alligator survival in the long run?
Lauren Augustine, the Philadelphia Zoo director of herpetology, doesn't think so.
Gators are ectotherms, meaning temperature plays a major role in their survival, Augustine said. That is why they can be found basking in the sun near fresh water from Florida to the Carolinas. It is also the reason there are no native alligator species in Pennsylvania.
If there were any gators in the Schuylkill, they could survive in the spring, summer, and fall. But it is unlikely that they would survive the long, cold winter, Augustine said.
Particularly if they spent the rest of the year living off alleged dead body parts.
"Alligators would not survive off dead bodies. This is not a realistic or reliable source of food," Augustine said. A gator found in any Pennsylvania body of water would have been put there by a person, she said.
ACCT Philly executive director Sarah Barnett dragon boats on the river with the Schuylkill Dragons three times a week. She has never seen a gator in the Schuylkill. ACCT Philly, however, has welcomed two so far this year.
One gator was surrendered; the other was picked up during an eviction in Strawberry Mansion. Neither was close to the Schuylkill.
The last time a gator was spotted in the Schuylkill was 2008. The 4-foot-long reptile was considered to be an abandoned pet.
In Pennsylvania it is not illegal to own alligators, but it is illegal to release them in the wild.
For Barnett, alligators are not meant to be pets, particularly in the city. Their need for a specific diet and environment makes it expensive and challenging to give them a good life in captivity.
They grow about a foot a year, turning their initial hatchling cuteness into a public-safety issue as they get older and stronger. This results in gators sometimes being abandoned in random bodies of water.
"You think that they will be OK in the 'wild.' They will not. They will die as it gets colder, and likely hurt a pet or person," Barnett said.
She urges anyone planning to release a gator in the wild to reach out to ACCT Philly instead.
Folks can request assistance and the organization will contact its partner JAWS to rehome the alligator. Animal control isn't law enforcement; people don't need to fear getting in trouble for surrendering their reptile.
Before becoming the reason folks believe there are alligators in the Schuylkill, Barnett recommends considering other options.
"Volunteer at the zoo. There are ways to be around animals who are really interesting that don't require you to have them at home," Barnett said.