\n The eyewitnesses added that the would-be creature may have been an alligator (stock photo). (Image: Pexels)\n<\/p>\n
\n “We saw it from our living room which overlooks a part of the stream that borders our garden.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Its snout, which was on the smaller size, was visible above the water, and it was drifting along with the unusual current, likely caused by the rain at the time.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We are\u00a0fairly certain it looked like an alligator snout out of water, \u00a0though it had disappeared downstream by the time we grabbed a phone to take a photo.\n<\/p>\n
\n “There\u2019s a chance it could have been something else, but we had a clear view,\u00a0and we were shocked, given that they don\u2019t have a natural habitat in the UK, so it\u2019s bizarre to see them in the wild.\n<\/p>\n
\n READ MORE: Oxford ‘venomous snake on the loose’ is hoax says councillor<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n \n “We did a bit of Googling and realised that there’s a crocodile zoo at Brize Norton, not too far away. Perhaps one of their residents broke free?”\n<\/p>\n \n The couple were not able to supply a photo to back up their claim when asked by this newspaper.\n<\/p>\n \n The crocodile zoo that the pair mentioned is Crocodiles of the World on Burford Road in west Oxfordshire.\n<\/p>\n \n Zoo founder Shaun Foggett said: \u201cWhilst we might be having a mild winter, UK temperatures are simply far too low for a crocodile to survive in a UK stream.\n<\/p>\n \n “Crocodiles and alligators are found throughout the sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world.\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE: Crocodiles among 140 dangerous animals living in Oxfordshire<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n Help support trusted local news\n<\/p>\nCastle Mill Stream in Oxford. (Image: Google Maps)\n<\/p>\n