Rarest Crocs in the Americas Get a Radio Boost
Rarest Crocs in the Americas Get a Radio Boost
The Orinoco crocodile, which was nearly wiped out for its skins early in the 20th century, will benefit from 21st century technology
By John R. Platt on February 16, 2016
Does the largest predator in the Americas still have a chance at survival in the wild? Less than 100 years ago an estimated 3 million Orinoco crocodiles (Crocodylus intermedius) roamed the river basins between Colombia and Venezuela. Today their wild population is estimated at a tiny fraction of that amount, somewhere between 250 and 1,500 animals.
A new project hopes to start to turn that around. Earlier this month 20 young crocodiles were released into an area of Colombia’s El Tuparro Natural National Park that has been nicknamed “Crocodile Lagoon.” The crocs, which all carry radio transmitters, range from 83 to 109 centimeters. If they live long enough in the wild, they could eventually reach an astonishing 5 or 6 meters in length.
The newly release crocodiles join 21 other captive-bred members of their species that conservationists released there nine months ago. Ten conservation organizations have partnered together for this effort, which is being led by Colombia’s Fundación Palmarito Casanare.
All of this follows a very limited release of Orinoco crocodiles to another Colombian park in 2013. Crocodile researcher Maria Cristina Ardila-Robayo, an associate professor of biology at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, told me that year that transmitters mounted behind the crocodiles' heads help researchers to collect data on the animals' habitat preferences, how they behaved in the wild and the amount of territory they need in order to thrive.
More:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/orinoco-crocodile/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+extinction-countdown%2Ffeed+%28Blog%3A+Extinction+Countdown%29
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112797048
