A fifth alligator has been sighted on Long Island-- and authorities haven't been able to capture it. The alligators have been found all over Long Island recently. The latest gator is about four feet long and has been spotted lurking in the shrubbery and water of the Peconic River.

Authorities believe the gator was a pet that got too big and was dumped near the river. Bait has ben set down near the Connecticut Avenue Boat launch in Calverton in an attempt to capture the alligator and keep it confined to one area because there is a food source there. Police have shut down the area until the reptile is captured.

"We want him to know that this is his food source so hopefully he'll come up and get more comfortable and we'll be able to capture him alive," Department of Environmental Conservation police officer Dan Damrath said.

Because it's been rainy and cold lately, police think the gator may have gone dormant and is hiding in the woods near the water. "Once it goes below 70 they stop eating," Damrath said. "Once it goes below 55, they go dormant. Their body slows down everything."

Although it's technically  illegal to have alligators in New York state, wildlife officials believe someone may have bought the alligators when they were hatchlings. They're easy to buy online and have delivered when they're babies. But the gators that have been captured may have started out as tiny pets-then become big and unmanageable. And someone, or a few people, may have abandoned the gators.

In April, police caught four other alligators in the same area in April. After the new alligator is caught, it will be donated to a zoo.