Latest Crocodylidae Stories
An experiment has been launched by Florida wildlife managers to see if they can keep crocodiles from returning to residential neighborhoods. It is hoped that their "homing" abilities will be disrupted by placing magnets on their heads.According to a report in a biology newsletter by researchers at Mexico's Crocodile Museum in Chiapas, there was some success with the method, using it to permanently relocate 20 of the reptiles since 2004."We said, 'Hey, we might as well give this...
An Australian park ranger and his girlfriend, a park surveillance officer, say a giant crocodile butted their dinghy in a marshy area in Kakadu Park.The crocodile, which they estimated as close to 20 feet long, then stuck its head out of the water Tuesday and gave them a long look, Matt Dunley and Sarah Bentley told The Australian. They immediately abandoned their fishing trip.The couple and Bentley's sister, Megan, were on a tributary of the Alligator River.I heard this big whack under the...
Australian wildlife officials said an American alligator found at a campsite in Pambula was likely a former pet. The National Parks and Wildlife Service said the 5-foot-long alligator, which was caught by vacationing snake handler Hans Rasker, was likely an exotic pet that either escaped or was released into the wild, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Wednesday. Senior ranger Robin Kesby said releasing exotic animals into the wild is illegal. The animal was taken into care by wires...
You'd think that if scientists were to discover a new species, it would be in some remote, uncharted tropical forest, not a laboratory in New York. But a team from the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History has done the unexpected. Looking at the genes of the African dwarf crocodile, researchers found that the group"”genetically speaking"”comprises three distinct species rather than one. This not only ends a long debate about the taxonomy of...
An Australian man said he and his wife got a major surprise when they found a crocodile taking up residence in their backyard pool. Steve Sanderson said immediately after his wife, Karen, jumped into their saltwater pool this week, he noticed a crocodile hanging out at the pool's bottom, the Northern Territory News said in its Wednesday edition. "He was obviously a croc -- you could see his teeth hanging out the side of his mouth when he had it shut,'' Sanderson said. Sanderson said his wife...
By Kathy Marks Rare Australian animals perish after seven-year-old goes on killing spree STAFF AT a popular zoo in central Australia were in shock after a seven-year-old boy broke in overnight, bludgeoned a range of animals to death, and fed them to the resident crocodile, Terry. The boy also hurled a number of live creatures into the crocodile's enclosure, where they too, were consumed. The 30-minute killing spree was captured by security cameras, which showed the boy smiling during...
By Michael McCarthy ENVIRONMENT EDITOR *Pristine wilderness is home to last significant habitat of Siamese crocodile One of the world's rarest reptiles, the critically-endangered Siamese crocodile, is gravely threatened by a proposed dam in an unspoilt region of Cambodia, British conservationists warn. Construction of the Chay Areng dam in the Cardamom mountains will wipe out a fifth or more of the remaining population of the crocodiles, which stands at fewer than 200 individuals in the...
By Steve Johnson CROC-crazy schoolboy Will Rennison has waved farewell to his friends at Dudley Zoo before setting off for a new life in Australia. It was a special moment for head of reptiles Graham Chilton as he handed over a much-prized possession to 13-year-old Will, from Tettenhall, Wolverhampton. For the past four years Will has taken part in the Junior Zoo Keeper scheme, which has inspired him to study animal care and management when he leaves school. Graham said: "Will is an...
By MIKE SWAIN; Science Editor WILDLIFE rangers light a huge bonfire piled with dead crocodiles to try to halt the spread of a disease that is threatening a whole colony. More than 150 crocs have died in three months in an epidemic that is puzzling scientists. It is feared the infection is spreading because healthy animals are eating the dead ones. So all the carcasses are being torched at Olifants Gorge in Kruger Park, South Africa. It is known they are dying of pansteatitis from a...
It was a saltwater crocodile, a man-eating species that can grow to 15ft. This one was still a baby at 2ft and appeared friendly, but the folk in the Noonamah Tavern played it safe and taped its mouth. Sarah Sparre, the barmaid, said: "It's not every day you see something like that. You could say that we were a bit surprised. He was pretty easy-going. But we weren't going to test him out." The visitor may have escaped from a crocodile farm a few miles away, near Darwin. After entertaining...
Latest Crocodylidae Reference Libraries
The Egyptian Plover (Pluvianus aegyptius), is a wading bird and the only member of the genus Pluvianus. The Egyptian Plover is a localized resident in tropical sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds on sandbars in large rivers. Egyptian Plover is a striking and clearly identifiable species. The 7.5 to 8.25 inch long adult has a black crown, back, eye-mask and breast band. The rest of the head is white. The remaining upper plumage is blue-gray, and the underparts are orange. The longish legs are...
The Cuban Crocodile, Crocodylus rhombifer, is found only in Cuba's Zapata Swamp and the Isle of Youth, and highly endangered, though it formerly ranged throughout the Caribbean. This croc appears to favor freshwater habitat such as swamps, marshes, and rivers. This species has numerous interesting characteristics that set it apart from other crocodiles, such as its brighter adult colors, rougher, more pebbled scales, and long, strong legs. It is also the most terrestrial of crocodiles,...
The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, is the largest of all existing reptiles. It is found in suitable habitat throughout Southeast Asia and northern Australasia. These are known as "˜salties' in the Northern territory of Australia. They generally spend the tropical wet season in freshwater swamps and rivers, moving downstream to estuaries in the dry season, and sometimes far out to sea. Adult male saltwater crocs typically grow to an average of 16 feet long and weigh...
The Mugger Crocodile, Crocodylus palustris, also called the Iranian, Marsh, or Persian Crocodile, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries. These countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Iran. Mainly a freshwater species, the Mugger crocodile is found in lakes, rivers and marshes. Muggers prefer slow-moving, shallower bodies of water rather than, fast-flowing, deep areas. The Mugger Crocodile is also known to thrive in man-made reservoirs and...
The Nile Crocodile is one of the three species of crocodile found in Africa, and the second largest species of crocodile. Its range covers most of Africa south of the Sahara and the island of Madagascar. The preferred habitat of Nile crocodiles is along rivers, in freshwater marshes, or along lakes. In some cases they thrive in more brackish water, along estuaries of mangrove swamps. Like all crocodiles, they are quadrupeds with four short, splayed legs; long, powerful tails; a scaly hide...
