7-Foot Lizard on Loose; Beware Tail, Tongue

A 7-foot-long lizard with a 2 1/2-foot tongue was believed to be roaming the area Monday after slithering away from a wrestling promoter who used the creature as a gimmick, police said.

The monitor lizard, a native of Thailand, was described as harmless, but police warned that it could appear quite fierce if cornered, when it would stand high on its legs, puff up its body and swing its tail like a whip.