Nile Crocodiles in S. Fl

[LV-426]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/24/3112045/hunting-a-man-eating-croc-in-south.html

Few are out there but not enough to be a problem for the ecosystem

 

[Tarac]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/24/3112045/hunting-a-man-eating-croc-in-south.html

Few are out there but not enough to be a problem for the ecosystem

Yet... obviously large crocodilians can and do thrive in this part of the world.

 

[zonbonzovi]

If I'm reading this correctly, it seems that FWC could maybe do a better job keeping import/sale/ownership records? This, of all creatures, should require a much more stringent ownership permitting process.

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

The "Nile crocodiles" may be native Americans.
If the alarmists who hyperventilate on "dangerous invaders in the Everglades" do find out that CROCODILES are native to this country they'll flip-there ARE native American crocodiles.

Well? So what? They won't "invade" anywhere:
Crocodiles have far less cold tolerance than alligators do.
So they will stay in the extreme South unless global warming gets much worse...and if it does...

The resulting calamities will be so disruptive that a few arguments over whether the Everglades crocodiles are native or naturalized will be the least of our worries.

 

[LV-426]

The "Nile crocodiles" may be native Americans.
If the alarmists who hyperventilate on "dangerous invaders in the Everglades" do find out that CROCODILES are native to this country they'll flip-there ARE native American crocodiles.

Well? So what? They won't "invade" anywhere:
Crocodiles have far less cold tolerance than alligators do.
So they will stay in the extreme South unless global warming gets much worse...and if it does...

The resulting calamities will be so disruptive that a few arguments over whether the Everglades crocodiles are native or naturalized will be the least of our worries.

Did you read the article? The wildlife biologist who caught it said it was a Nile croc. American crocs are shy, this one was descibed as aggressive . I take the word of an expert over an Internet quarterback.

 

[Formerphobe]

The article does differentiate between Nile and American crocs.

If I'm reading this correctly, it seems that FWC could maybe do a better job keeping import/sale/ownership records? This, of all creatures, should require a much more stringent ownership permitting process.

It would seem...

"The closest licensed facility... was not issued a violation notice but was asked to install mesh along the fence bottom as a precaution against hatchlings crawling through chain-link openings.... he has one of the largest private collections of crocodilians in the U.S. and .... insists he’s had no escapes and always collects eggs before they hatch."

I'm reminded of the licensed tiger refuge in New Jersey (of all places) that had fairly regular escapes until it was shut down. The owner/manager would say of stray tigers in the area, "Oh, that's not one of mine..."

And there is this:
"the crocs might have been released by unlicensed owners who illegally obtained eggs or hatchlings."

However they got there, they're apparently trying to set up housekeeping.

"For now, scientists see little risk of Niles colonizing the Everglades... There just aren’t enough Niles to make a go of it, said Williams of the FWS.
Even if a few remain loose and undetected, “the chance of them actually finding each other and breeding is incredibly low,” he said."

Famous last words?

 

[Tarac]

The "Nile crocodiles" may be native Americans.
If the alarmists who hyperventilate on "dangerous invaders in the Everglades" do find out that CROCODILES are native to this country they'll flip-there ARE native American crocodiles.

Well? So what? They won't "invade" anywhere:
Crocodiles have far less cold tolerance than alligators do.
So they will stay in the extreme South unless global warming gets much worse...and if it does...

The resulting calamities will be so disruptive that a few arguments over whether the Everglades crocodiles are native or naturalized will be the least of our worries.

It's not a surprise, what a silly thing to say. American crocodiles are very well studied and not that uncommon to see if you are down there- totally different animal if you have some small bit of knowledge about the two. I see American crocs at Flamingo plot in the everglades every single year that I visit. I also have a friend who lives in coral gables on a canal with a small landing associated with the property and he has had two American crocodiles removed from the area that were caught basking on his landing.

These aren't alarmist, they are qualified professionals and they have good reason to be concerned. They will invade south Florida easily and likely further up the coast. At that scale they can use the same simple mechanisms employed by the myriad of other "tropical" reptiles that are documented to be not only present but breeding and established here in Florida, from the keys all the way up to Jacksonville. How many things from Cuba are now found in Tallahassee I can't even speculate other than to say I have collected a handful of species without even trying personally. I don't want to add nile crocs to the list of things I have to watch out for when I am looking at fish in our waterways or whatever.

---------- Post added 12-06-2012 at 08:22 AM ----------

The article does differentiate the differences between Nile and American crocs.


It would seem...

"The closest licensed facility... was not issued a violation notice but was asked to install mesh along the fence bottom as a precaution against hatchlings crawling through chain-link openings.... he has one of the largest private collections of crocodilians in the U.S. and .... insists he’s had no escapes and always collects eggs before they hatch."

I'm reminded of the licensed tiger refuge in New Jersey (of all places) that had fairly regular escapes until it was shut down. The owner/manager would say of stray tigers in the area, "Oh, that's not one of mine..."

And there is this:
"the crocs might have been released by unlicensed owners who illegally obtained eggs or hatchlings."

However they got there, they're apparently trying to set up housekeeping.

"For now, scientists see little risk of Niles colonizing the Everglades... There just aren’t enough Niles to make a go of it, said Williams of the FWS.
Even if a few remain loose and undetected, “the chance of them actually finding each other and breeding is incredibly low,” he said."

Famous last words?

I think so...

Another easy route of entry is to simply go across the state lines to any one of the number of nearby states that don't require permits for animals such as this, buy one and drive it back... and then release it when it gets too big to live in your pool and starts getting too aggressive to work with. One could easily just stop through one on the way back from a vacation with a live souvenir. Many a venomous serpent has found it's way here in this fashion, why not a croc too? Same thing happens in New York, Tigers showing up in people's apartments. It's not exclusive phenomenon to Florida by any means, it just happens to be especially bad here and places like SoCal where these animals can thrive if/when they get out into the wild.

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

So a few of the "Nile crocodiles" in the Everglades did turn out to be genuine specimens.
Although these animals may very well include several true pairs they still won't be able to breed "throughout wherever" for very long unless global warming gets much worse.

Crocodiles HAVE tried to migrate since the end of the Ice Age...but:

Although the Ice Age is technically over the few cold snaps in the northern Everglades have killed EVERY crocodile that did try "to set up housekeeping."

They won't "invade" much of anywhere at that rate unless global warming gets much worse.