Source(s):
Frank Mazzotti fjma@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (954) 577-6304
Laura Brandt laura_brandt@fws.gov, (561) 732-3684 ext. 118
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — One of Florida’s lesser-known swamp monsters, the rare American crocodile, is making a comeback. And University of Florida scientists say the return of the big, toothy reptile can tell us a lot about the health of the Everglades.
As part of the federal South Florida Restoration Initiative, Frank Mazzotti, wildlife scientist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is leading state and federal experts in the first comprehensive survey of American crocodiles living in South Florida. During the month-long survey, which begins Friday, scientists will capture, mark and recapture the endangered animals to measure their growth and survival.
Doing so is a good way to estimate the status of not just the crocodile population but also the Everglades, Mazzotti said. And if Mazzotti’s hunch that crocodiles are on the rebound is correct, the findings may prompt the federal government to remove the animal from its list of endangered species.
“The crocodile is an excellent indicator of ecosystem health, so this is a good opportunity to start evaluating Everglades restoration,” he said. “It’s the first time we’re going to systematically go from one end of the crocodile’s Florida range to the other, searching out every possible area to find out how many there are.”
American crocodiles live in the extreme southern tip of Florida and nowhere else in the continental United States, Mazzotti said. They thrive in estuaries, or areas with a mix of salt and fresh water.
“Restoring estuaries is critically important to the future of the Everglades,” he said. “When you read historical accounts of Everglades exploration that describe incredibly abundant wildlife, they’re referring to these areas. Estuaries are the most productive ecosystems on Earth.”
Both the federal and state governments have signified the importance of Everglades restoration through support of the 30-year, $7.8 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The plan, approved in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, provides a guide to cleaning up and preserving water resources in central and southern Florida, including the Everglades, in order to overcome decades of decline. It also is expected to recover habitat for endangered species that live in these diverse ecosystems.
The biggest current threat to one of these species — crocodiles — is interaction with people, said Mazzotti, an associate professor at UF’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.
“As the population has recovered, crocodiles are returning where they formerly were abundant,” he said. “Many people have not been prepared for the reoccurrence of crocodiles in their backyards, and they don’t understand the American crocodile’s nature.”
According to Mazzotti, the American crocodile is the least aggressive of all large crocodiles and is even shyer than the common Florida alligator.
“Obviously, you shouldn’t go and pet one, but if you live by the water and a crocodile enters your back yard, you’re more likely to drown than to have problems with the reptile,” he said.
Due in part to an increase in reported crocodile encounters, Mazzotti suspects the reptile is undergoing a significant recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will use information from the survey to see if the American crocodile can be reclassified from endangered, which means it is in immediate danger of becoming extinct, to threatened, which means the danger is less severe, Mazzotti said.
“I think we’ll find a success story in progress,” he said. “When they were declared endangered 25 years ago, it was estimated that there were around 200 to 400 crocodiles in Florida. Today, we estimate that there are around 1,000.”
Laura Brandt, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who will be working with Mazzotti, said people commonly think the American crocodile is as fierce as its man-eating Australian or African cousins, which is not the case.
“One of the biggest issues of restoration and the return of crocodiles is educating people about the animals,” she said. “As crocodiles return, there is more interaction with them, and people are afraid of them. But the American crocodile is a real sweetheart when compared to the alligator, whose presence is often taken for granted.”
Brandt said she is pleased that both state and local agencies are participating in the survey.
“The great thing about this survey is that it’s a cooperative effort, with participants from UF/IFAS, U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Game Conservation Commission,” she said. “This is a prime example of the kind of projects we need to do to make restoration work.”
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