American Crocodile

Crocodylus acutus – The American crocodile has a much wider distribution than the American alligator. Although in the United States it is restricted to southern Florida, it is found in 16 other countries. Like the alligator, it has been hunted to supply the lucrative trade in leather made from crocodile skin. In the United States crocodiles live in the tidal marshes in the Everglades along Florida Bay and in the Florida Keys. The American crocodile is also found in western Mexico through Central America down to northeastern Peru and into Venezuela. It occurs on some Caribbean islands, mainly Cuba (which has the largest wild population) and also Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. In all these countries crocodile populations have declined. Crocodiles are fairly adaptable; they are excellent swimmers, they can travel considerable distances overland, and they can live in fresh or salt water. However, urban development-for example in Dade and Monroe counties, Floridahas reduced their habitat. One population has taken refuge in brackish water cooling channels at Turkey Point nuclear power station in Florida. Like alligators, crocodiles do not usually attack humans unless they or their nests are disturbed. In Florida the crocodiles and their nests are strictly protected; killing, feeding, or disturbing them in any way is illegal. Crocodiles are good burrowers, excavating deep holes for shelter and nesting. In the absence of suitable soil they will cover the eggs with a mound of loose vegetation. Eggs and youngsters are vulnerable to predators. Racoons in the United States dig up their nests, as do teiid lizards in Central America. Flooding can also destroy nests before the eggs hatch.

American crocodile – Crocodylus acutus

• Family: Crocodylidae
• World population: Unknown
• Distribution: Southern Florida, Central America, Peru, and Venezuela
• Diet: Fish, crabs, turtles, birds, and small mammals; can attack livestock
• Habitat: Fresh and salt water; swamps, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and mangrove swamps
• Size: Length: male 16-19 ft (5-6 m); female up to 16 ft (5 m). Reports of specimens 22 ft (7 m) long in Central America. Weight: 700-800 lb (318-363 kg)
• Form: Large lizardlike reptiles with longer and narrower snouts than alligators and a body that is not as well armored. The fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw is visible when the mouth is closed. Coloration is green-gray or gray-tan with dusky markings. Adults have a prominent swelling in front of each eye
• Breeding: Clutches of 20-60 eggs are laid in excavated holes or buried in mounds of loose vegetation. Incubation takes about 3 months
• Related endangered species: Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius); Philippines crocodile (C. mindorensis); marsh or mugger crocodile (C. palustris); Cuban crocodile (C. rhombifer); Siamese crocodile (C. siamensis)

The American crocodile is threatened both by urban development and by other forms of habitat destruction. In Ecuador, for example, mangroves have been cleared for shrimp aquaculture. Crocodiles are also sometimes killed out of fear or because they are seen as a threat to livestock. Illegal hunting for the trade in skins or for making tourist souvenirs is common. Other threats include accidental capture in fishing nets, tropical storms, and overfishing; fish form a large part of their diet. ConservationThe Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) consists of experts and other interested parties who advise the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN on crocodilian conservation. Operating from the Florida Museum of Natural History, the group monitors crocodile populations and draws up conservation programs; by 1971 the CSG had set up a conservation program for all 23 crocodilian species throughout the world. Monitoring the crocodiles is a mammoth task.

The most detailed study has been that of the Florida population, but in several countries very little up-todate information is available, and there is a need for more fieldwork. The CSG is funded by voluntary donations, so funds are not always sufficient to do what is needed. The American crocodile was listed as Endangered in 1979, and a recovery plan was initiated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984 to cover aspects such as habitat protection and captivebreeding programs. Captive breeding for the skin trade and restocking exists in six countries, but recent reduced demand for skins may remove the financial incentive for this to continue. Few zoos have captivebreeding programs, although one notable success was the hatching of 10 young crocodiles in 1996 at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. In Venezuela protection and releases of captive-bred stock are aiding recovery. Florida’s crocodile population is slowly increasing, but in several countries (such as El Salvador and Haiti) they are still declining. There is an urgent need for restocking of the wild populations.

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