An introduction to the nature and life of the american crocodile

The largest populations occurred in the broad marl prairies to the east and west of the southern ridge and slough and to the mangrove estuaries inhabited by crocodiles. Primarily a coastal crocodilian, the American crocodile exists at the northern end of its range in south Florida. Land development and water management practices for the expansion of a rapidly growing human population have reduced the spatial extent and changed the hydropatterns of these habitats.

Sharp teeth are a great reminder to keep a safe distance away from wildlife! NPS photo Crocodiles and alligators belong to a group of reptiles called crocodilians, which are the largest of the living reptiles.

Of the 23 different species of crocodilians in the world, 2 species are native to the United States, and south Florida is the only place where both of these species coexist. The American alligator Alligator mississippiensis ranges throughout the southeastern United States, and Everglades alligators exist at the southern extreme of their range.

American Crocodiles Crocodylus acutuson the other hand, inhabit coastal areas of south Florida where they are at the northern extreme of their range. American crocodiles also can be found on the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola, as well as along both coasts of southern Mexico and Central America, south to Ecuador on the Pacific coast of South America, and Venezuela on the Atlantic coast.

American Crocodile: Species Profile - Everglades National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

At first glance crocodiles can be difficult to distinguish from alligators, but closer inspection reveals several important differences. The American crocodile is lizard-shaped with a long, muscular tail and four short legs that have five toes on the front feet and four on the back feet.

Adults have grayish-green backs and tails and white to yellowish undersides. Their narrow snout is triangular in shape, and the fourth tooth on both sides of the lower jaw is visible when the mouth is closed. The ear drums are protected by moveable flaps of skin at the top of the head behind the eyes, and the nostrils are at the end of the elongated snout.

Because of the location of the eyes, ears, and nostrils, a crocodile can be submerged with only the top of its head exposed and still be able to see, hear, and breathe. Male crocodiles are larger than females and can reach about 20 feet in length but rarely exceed 14 feet in the wild.

Breeding females are about 8 to 12 feet in length.

The lighter skin and narrower, triangular-shaped snout of the American crocodile distinguish it from the American alligator, shown below. NPS photo The darker skin and broader snout of the American alligator distinguish it from the American crocodile, shown above. NPS photo Alligators are more numerous in Florida than crocodiles, are darker, have a broader snout, and are typically found in freshwater habitats.

Crocodiles, on the other hand, are rare and secretive creatures that inhabit coastal, brackish, and salt-water habitats.

Ecology and Conservation of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Florida | The Croc Docs

Like alligators, crocodiles are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun or by moving to an area with warmer or cooler water.

A basking crocodile may be surprised by an approaching person and quickly and noisily enter the water. This behavior might startle the person, but it should not be misunderstood. Crocodiles normally enter the water quietly; splashing away indicates that the crocodile is frightened and feeling stressed.

Crocodiles sometimes can be seen sunning with their mouths open. This behavior is also a way of regulating body temperature and does not mean that the crocodile is acting aggressively toward people. Head of American crocodile under water and partly buried by sand.

USGS photo A crocodile will eat almost anything that moves. Hatchlings and young crocodiles eat small fish, snails, crustaceans, and insects. Adults feed mostly at night on fish, crabs, turtles, snakes, and small mammals.

The growth rate of crocodiles varies with food availability and temperature. Digestion is efficient only within a certain range of body temperatures.

Generally, crocodiles grow more slowly near the limits of their range. American crocodiles build nests that are either holes in or mounds of sand and other earthen material. Unlike birds and mammals, the sex of embryos is not determined at fertilization, but by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated.

Temperatures of 88 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit produce mostly male offspring, and temperatures lower than 88 degrees result in mostly females. However, the temperature must remain above 82 degrees for the eggs to survive and hatch. Females lay from 20 to 60 eggs per clutch and incubate the eggs for about 85 days until they hatch in late July or early August.

Female crocodiles build soil nests on elevated, well-drained sites. Nests are constructed so that the eggs will be above the high-water mark because crocodilian eggs cannot survive flooding for more than 12 hours. After nest construction, the female may not remain near the nest;however, toward the end of incubation, females visit the nest with increasing frequency.

When hatching begins, the mother digs open the nest and may help some of the hatchlings emerge from their eggs. She may also assist the newly hatched crocodiles to water or nursery sites where they are released.() Life histories and conservation of long-lived reptiles, an illustration with the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus).

Journal of Animal Ecology , Online publication date: 31 - Jul - The population biology of the American crocodile in southern Florida has been studied through surveys for crocodiles and nests by a number of individuals and groups since the 's.

Study areas have included Everglades National Park (ENP), Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge (CLNWR), the Turkey Point Power Plant site (TP) and more . Saltwater Crocodile, American Alligator, American Crocodile, Black Caiman, Cuban Crocodile, Gharial Introduction to Crocodiles Crocodiles rank among the ugliest of .

An American crocodile's diet consists mainly of small fish, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals. Population There are more than 1, American crocodiles, not including hatchlings, in Florida.

Warm Weather

Everglades National Park "American Crocodile" Kimmie Jordan SCI 10/10/ Shannon Kam The Everglades National Park "American Crocodile" The Crocodylus acutus known as the American crocodile is a very large species it is known to grow as large as 6m.

Introduction. The American crocodile is a primarily coastal crocodilian occurring in parts of Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and at the northern end of its range in southern Florida.

The crocodile was first sighted by .