Nile Crocodile Found in Florida, with notes on Fla's other exotic reptiles & mammals

Nile Crocodile Found in Florida, with notes on Fla's other exotic reptiles & mammals

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo.
Yet another Floridian reptile drama has made headlines. Earlier this month (March, 2014) officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FFW) reported that a Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) had been captured in the northwestern Everglades. Although the origin of this particular animal may be known, it is not the first Nile Crocodile to have been captured in the state, which is now home to an astonishing 500+ species of non-native animals (and a great many plants)! And while Nile Crocodiles are a rarity in Florida, the possibility of hybridization with the native American Crocodile (C. acutus) may be a concern. In the course of my work in zoos and via contacts with commercial croc farming projects, I’ve seen many examples of hybrid crocodiles. I cared for a Cuban Crocodile x American Crocodile cross, and Siamese Crocodiles are regularly interbred with others on farms. Hybrid crocs were even openly offered for sale as “pets” back in the “Wild West” days of the pet trade (and perhaps still are?). Read the rest of this article here Croc Found in Fla.: Is World?s Largest a Resident? | That Reptile Blog [FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank

Re: Nile Crocodile Found in Florida, with notes on Fla's other exotic reptiles & mamm

There are a bunch of Iguanas in south Florida that did not have a good winter last year. We had a really bad cold spell and they were falling out of the trees. Kind people would grab them and put them in their cars to warm up. Unfortunately thawed iguanas can get very nasty and upset.

Re: Nile Crocodile Found in Florida, with notes on Fla's other exotic reptiles & mamm

Irresponsible owners is to be blamed.....

Re: Nile Crocodile Found in Florida, with notes on Fla's other exotic reptiles & mamm

ErichT said:

There are a bunch of Iguanas in south Florida that did not have a good winter last year. We had a really bad cold spell and they were falling out of the trees. Kind people would grab them and put them in their cars to warm up. Unfortunately thawed iguanas can get very nasty and upset.

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Hi..yes, many losses, even to certain native species, during cold spells; some theorize that this selects out the more tolerant individuals, even possibly among iguanas and other introduced species; certainly, iguanas have been established for so long that some adaptation may have occurred. here's an article on the effects of the cold winter of 2010: Cold Snap in Florida Affects Introduced (i.e. Burmese Pythons) and Native Herps best, frank