By DAVID GOODHUE
dgoodhue@keysreporter.com
State wildlife officials are on the lookout for at least one Nile crocodile that likely escaped from a Miami-Dade County home several months ago.
Three of the Nile crocs, native to Africa and much more aggressive than their American cousins found in South Florida, were somehow released from a Miami-Dade residence, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino.
The FWC says only one is unaccounted for. It was last spotted in the C-103 canal in Homestead over the summer, said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida.
While not time to panic, Mazzotti said the Nile crocodile is well suited for the South Florida climate, and a breeding population could get established here. He said wildlife officials must be proactive in not letting that happen, or risk having a situation on their hands similar to that of the Burmese python, which thrives in the Everglades and is now found in the Keys.
“Nile crocodiles are well adapted for the Everglades habitat,” Mazzotti said. “That’s why we need to respond while we only have one or two animals out there.”
About 2,000 American saltwater crocodiles live in South Florida, mostly from south Miami-Dade County to the Florida Keys, but there has never been a documented attack by one on a human. The biggest scare the area experienced was when a 10-foot croc leapt out of a Key Largo canal and killed a 65-pound dog in March.
The Nile crocodile, on the other hand, is known to be very dangerous to people. They’re naturally found in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to National Geographic, about 200 people are killed every year by the jaws of the reptiles. The average Nile croc is 16 feet long and weighs about 500 pounds. But they can also grow much larger — more than 2,000 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo Library. They live on average about 45 years.
Adult American crocodiles can grow between 7 and 14 feet long and weigh between 150 and 450 pounds, according to the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife.
Carli Segelson, another FWC spokeswoman, said the croc they are looking for is much younger and much smaller — about 3 to 4 feet long. Pino said crocodiles and alligators grow about a foot per year until they reach full maturity.
The last time the Nile crocodile was seen was before Hurricane Isaac passed by South Florida in late August, Segelson said.
“It may or may not even still be alive,” Segelson said.
Mazzotti said he and his team have been tracking the croc since March. But obtaining the proper permitting to go after the animal took months.
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“Then Hurricane Isaac came, and poof, it disappeared,” Mazzotti said. American crocodiles prefer to live in salt and brackish water. The Nile croc lives in fresh water, but Segelson said they are also found in brackish water.
The Nile crocodiles were not released, but somehow managed to get out of their enclosure, Pino said. He did not identify the owner.
“It’s safe to say that whenever you have captive wildlife escape, someone has to be held responsible for them,” Pino said. “The person was not maintaining proper caging requirements.”
Owning wild exotic animals like Nile crocodiles is not illegal if the owner has the proper permits, Pino said. So far, wildlife officials are not concerned the crocodile they are looking for will breed with a native croc.
For one, Segelson said there is no known cases of hybridization between the two species, and also, the croc is still at least two years too young to breed.
“It is highly unlikely that an American crocodile would be able to breed with the Nile crocodile,” Segelson said.
Anyone with information about the escaped croc is asked to call 1-888-404-3922.
Three of the Nile crocs, native to Africa and much more aggressive than their American cousins found in South Florida, were somehow released from a Miami-Dade residence, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino.
The FWC says only one is unaccounted for. It was last spotted in the C-103 canal in Homestead over the summer, said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida.
While not time to panic, Mazzotti said the Nile crocodile is well suited for the South Florida climate, and a breeding population could get established here. He said wildlife officials must be proactive in not letting that happen, or risk having a situation on their hands similar to that of the Burmese python, which thrives in the Everglades and is now found in the Keys.
“Nile crocodiles are well adapted for the Everglades habitat,” Mazzotti said. “That’s why we need to respond while we only have one or two animals out there.”
About 2,000 American saltwater crocodiles live in South Florida, mostly from south Miami-Dade County to the Florida Keys, but there has never been a documented attack by one on a human. The biggest scare the area experienced was when a 10-foot croc leapt out of a Key Largo canal and killed a 65-pound dog in March.
The Nile crocodile, on the other hand, is known to be very dangerous to people. They’re naturally found in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to National Geographic, about 200 people are killed every year by the jaws of the reptiles. The average Nile croc is 16 feet long and weighs about 500 pounds. But they can also grow much larger — more than 2,000 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo Library. They live on average about 45 years.
Adult American crocodiles can grow between 7 and 14 feet long and weigh between 150 and 450 pounds, according to the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife.
Carli Segelson, another FWC spokeswoman, said the croc they are looking for is much younger and much smaller — about 3 to 4 feet long. Pino said crocodiles and alligators grow about a foot per year until they reach full maturity.
The last time the Nile crocodile was seen was before Hurricane Isaac passed by South Florida in late August, Segelson said.
“It may or may not even still be alive,” Segelson said.
Mazzotti said he and his team have been tracking the croc since March. But obtaining the proper permitting to go after the animal took months.
\
“Then Hurricane Isaac came, and poof, it disappeared,” Mazzotti said. American crocodiles prefer to live in salt and brackish water. The Nile croc lives in fresh water, but Segelson said they are also found in brackish water.
The Nile crocodiles were not released, but somehow managed to get out of their enclosure, Pino said. He did not identify the owner.
“It’s safe to say that whenever you have captive wildlife escape, someone has to be held responsible for them,” Pino said. “The person was not maintaining proper caging requirements.”
Owning wild exotic animals like Nile crocodiles is not illegal if the owner has the proper permits, Pino said. So far, wildlife officials are not concerned the crocodile they are looking for will breed with a native croc.
For one, Segelson said there is no known cases of hybridization between the two species, and also, the croc is still at least two years too young to breed.
“It is highly unlikely that an American crocodile would be able to breed with the Nile crocodile,” Segelson said.
Anyone with information about the escaped croc is asked to call 1-888-404-3922.
http://itouchmap.com/?d=293835&s=FL&f=canal
http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=45&with_photo_id=17769916&order=date_desc&user=2371921
http://reptiles-snakes.knoji.com/maneating-crocodiles-dangerous-but-misunderstood-reptiles-that-survived-the-age-of-the-dinosaurs/
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