A 2016 study has confirmed the presence of
Nile crocodiles surviving in the wild –
of South Florida.
Native to a broad region of the African continent,
the Nile crocodile, or Crocodylus niloticus,
is among the deadliest apex predators on the
planet. Growing up to 6 meters (or almost
20 feet) in length, this is one of the few
wild animals that will regularly look at a
human being and think, “Yeah, that could
be prey.” The researchers cite a figure
that there were at least 493 attacks on humans
leading to 354 fatalities between 2010 and
2014. Nile crocodiles are more dangerous to
humans than the native crocodilians of Florida,
such as the American alligator. In the study,
published in the journal Herpetological Conservation
and Biology, four unusual-looking crocodiles
were captured in South Florida between 2000
and 2014. Researchers used DNA matching to
show that at least two of these were indeed
Nile crocodiles, most closely related to a
population found in South Africa. Identical
genetic markers indicate at least two of these
animals were directly related to one another,
meaning they probably came from the same source.
But what was that source? It’s a mystery.
So whoever is bringing Nile crocodiles to
Florida and releasing them -- please, please
stop. OK? Stop. By tracking the growth, movement
and foraging behaviors of one of the animals,
researchers also confirmed that Nile crocodiles
can not only survive in the wild in Florida
– they seem to be doing extremely well.
One specimen that was recaptured after a period
in the had grown 40.5 centimeters (or 16 inches)
per year -- 28% faster than some Nile crocodiles
in their native range. So it’s possible that
we have found a glorious King Crocodile incubator,
and it is Florida. The researchers stress
that there’s no evidence of an established
population of Nile crocodiles in the wilderness
of Florida. But there’s also no way to be
sure that the ones found in this study were
alone. In 30 years, are we going to be reading reports
of Nile crocodiles feasting on our South Florida
cattle and Everglades tourists? I guess we’ll
wait and see. I do want to emphasize that
there is not currently a known danger of Nile
crocodile attacks in Florida. The real story
here isn’t just about killer crocodiles,
but about the broader problem of invasive
species. Florida already has the greatest
number of invasive amphibians and reptiles
of any place in the world, including animals
like the Burmese python.
So, what do you think should be done about the
problem of invasive species - especially in Florida
where they really seem to feel at home?
Let us know in the comments. And to hear more stories like this, check out now.howstuffworks.com
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