FUN FACTS
- Morelet’s crocodile is named for P.M.A. Morelet (1809-1892), the French naturalist who in 1850 described this species in Mexico.
- The scales that cover most of the crocodile’s head and body have integumentary sense organs that carry out a number of tasks, including detecting salinity pressure and vibrations.
- Crocodiles often sit on river banks with their mouth wide open. This is not an aggressive pose, but a means to cool off, as they sweat through their mouth.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Appearance
The Morelet’s crocodile is a crocodilian of modest size found only in the fresh Atlantic waters in the regions of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. It was Morelet, the French naturalist, who discovered this new crocodile species in the mid-nineteenth century, and its scientific name come from him. This species has a similar color to that of the American crocodile, but the Morelet’s crocodile is a bit darker, having a dark grayish-brown with darker spots and bands on the body and tail. The juveniles are bright yellow with black bands. These crocodiles do not have ventral osteoderms – bony plates that are under the skin – and therefore their skin is highly valuable for tanning. Their powerful legs have clawed and webbed feet. Their tail is also powerful, and they swim using strong thrusts.
Geography
Morelet’s crocodiles live on the eastern coastal plain in Mexico, and on most parts of the Yucatan peninsula, as well as throughout northern Guatemala and Belize. They live mostly in freshwater areas like swamps, marshes and forested riparian habitats. Recently, these crocodiles have even been seen in coastal brackish water. The juveniles prefer the protection of denser cover, and adults typically aestivate during the dry season in burrows.
Habits and Lifestyle
A Morelet’s crocodile is typically shy and timid, though the bigger ones can be considered a danger to humans. This species prefers an aquatic lifestyle, but is also able to travel on land, despite this being more difficult than in the water. Morelet’s crocodiles can often be seen in wetlands submerged just below the water’s surface with only the top of their heads to be seen. They are primarily active at night, when they carry out hunting and mating. They spend the day basking in the sun, at the same time being alert and very aware of what is going on around them. Juveniles will communicate through vocalization (described as barking) when born. Not much information is available about specific social communication. This species tends to follow the basic behavior patterns of all crocodiles, the most vocal of the reptiles, and their calls differ according to age, sex and the situation.
Diet and Nutrition
Morelet’s crocodiles are carnivores and have a different diet according to their size and age. Juveniles eat fish and small invertebrates. Sub-adults eat aquatic snails, fish, mammals and small birds. Adults feed on bigger prey, including birds, fish, turtles, lizards, and domestic animals like dogs. In times of low food they can become cannibalistic, eating newborns.
Mating Habits
Little is known about the mating habits of Morelet’s crocodiles, although, like all crocodiles, they might be polygynous. This means that one male mates with more than one female during the breeding season. Large males probably dominate over the others in their area, with females preferring to mate with dominant males. Breeding is usually between April and June, with eggs laid before the rainy season begins. Among North American crocodiles, Morelet’s crocodiles are unique in that they only build mound nests, not both mound and hole nests. Their nests are around 1 m (3.3 ft) high and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide, built near water or on vegetation that is floating. A female lays 20 – 45 eggs. Nests containing eggs laid by more than one female have been found. The females bury the eggs and guard the nests. The incubation period is about 80 days. The female carries her hatchlings to the water, where both parents protect them until they are ready to fend for themselves. The parents will also defend hatchlings fiercely against predators and larger juveniles. Morelet’s crocodiles reach maturity at 7-8 years of age.
Population
Population threats
During the 1940s and 1950s this species was hunted almost to extinction for its valuable hide. Since then it has become illegal to hunt them and populations have steadily recovered. Current threats are from illegal poaching and habitat loss.
Population number
According to the Aquatic Community resource, the total population size of the Morelet’s crocodile is around 10,000-20,000 individuals. According to the IUCN Red List, between 79,000 and 100,000 individuals occur in Mexico. Overall, currently Morelet’s crocodiles are classified as least concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today remain stable.
Physical Description
Tigers have reddish-orange coats with prominent black stripes, white bellies and
white spots on their ears. Like a human fingerprint, no two tigers have the exact
same markings. Because of this, researchers can use stripe patterns to identify
different individuals when studying tigers in the wild. Tigers are powerful hunters
with sharp teeth, strong jaws and agile bodies. They are the largest terrestrial
mammal whose diet consists entirely of meat. The tiger’s closest relative is the lion.
In fact, without fur, it is difficult to distinguish a tiger from a lion.
Size
Tigers are the largest cat species in the world, and the Amur tiger is the largest
subspecies with males weighing up to 660 pounds (300 kilograms) and measuring 10
feet (3 meters). Sumatran tigers are the smallest subspecies, maxing out at 310
pounds (140 kilograms) and 8 feet (2.4 meters). Female tigers of all subspecies tend
to be smaller than their male counterparts.
Native Habitat
Historically, tigers existed throughout much of Eastern and Southern Asia, as well as
in parts of Central and Western Asia and the Middle East, surrounding the Caspian
Sea. Their range has diminished significantly as human populations have expanded.
Itis believed they currently occupy just 7 percent of their historic range.
Presently, tigers are found in a variety of habitats across South and Southeast Asia,
China and Eastern Russia. They thrive in temperate, tropical or evergreen forests,
mangrove swamps and grasslands. Amur tigers are primarily found in Far-East
Russia, although there are small populations across the border into China and
potentially North Korea. Sumatran tigers are found only on the Indonesian island of
Sumatra. A tiger’s range within these regions is determined by the availability of
prey.
Communication
Despite their solitary nature, communication is a very important part of tigers’
behavioral ecology. They communicate through vocalizations, such as roaring,
grunting and chuffing, and through signals, such as scent marking and scratches on
trees. Tigers are fiercely territorial animals, so these signals are particularly
important to communicating where one tiger’s home range ends and another’s
begins.
Food/Eating Habits
Tigers are solitary ambush predators that rely on stealth and strength to take down
prey. These apex predators primarily hunt large ungulates, such as wild boar and
deer, but are also known to consume monkeys, buffalo, sloth bears, leopards and
even crocodiles. When tigers are found in close proximity to humans, they may also
feed on domestic animals, such as cattle or goats. Tigers are adept swimmers and
have even been recorded hunting in the wild.
These powerful cats hunt primarily at night, using sight and sound to identify prey.
Their striped coats help them blend into their surroundings, where they lie in wait for
prey to pass by. At the opportune moment, tigers pounce on their prey, take it to the
ground and finish the kill by breaking or biting the neck. Tigers hunt about once a
week and consume as much as 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of food in one night.
At the Zoo, tigers eat ground beef, and their diet is supplemented with enrichment
items each week. They receive knucklebones or cow femurs twice a week and rabbits
once a week to exercise their jaws and keep their teeth healthy.
Social Structure
Tigers are solitary creatures, except when mating or raising young. Cubs stay with
their mothers until they learn to hunt successfully, usually at about 18 to 24 months
old. They reach full independence after two to three years, at which point they
disperse to find their own territory. Female tigers often remain near their mother’s’
territory, while males disperse farther from home.
Reproduction and Development
Female tigers reach sexual maturity between age 3 and 4. Males are sexually mature
at about 4 or 5 years old. Mating can occur at any time of year but most often takes
place during cooler months between November and April. Tigers are induced
ovulators, which means females will not release eggs until mating occurs. Gestation
lasts approximately 100 days, and females give birth to between one and seven
offspring at a time, averaging between two and four cubs. Once cubs become
independent, at about age 2, females are ready to give birth again. However, if a
female’s offspring do not survive, due to causes such as infanticide or starvation, she
is able to conceive another litter right away.
Lifespan
The life span of tigers in the wild is usually between 10 and 15 years. In human care,
or on rare occasions in the wild, a tiger can live up to 20 years. However,
approximately half of all wild tiger cubs do not survive past the first two years of life.
Only 40 percent of those that reach independence actually live to establish a territory
and produce young. The risk of mortality remains high for adult tigers due to their
territorial nature, which often results in direct competition with conspecifics, or
members of the same species.
WHERE TO FIND THE MORELET'S CROCODILE
