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Jump to a Species >> American River Otters | Florida Panthers | Red Tailed Hawks | American Alligators | American Crocodiles | Gopher Tortoises | Florida Kingsnakes

American Crocodiles - Crocodylus acutus

American Crocodiles are very rare in the United States and are only found along the Florida coast in the bay area, in Everglades National Park, and in the keys. Throughout their worldwide range, from Western Mexico to Ecuador along the Pacific, and from Guatemala to Florida along the Atlantic, they live in coastal wetlands. Unlike their alligator cousins the adults can tolerate a saline aquatic environment. Another comparative difference to the alligators lies in the fact that males will sometime help to guard nesting areas and hatchlings. Adult Crocodiles maintain dens near nest sites… usually a burrow which they dig in stream or creek beds. Unlike the alligators, female crocodiles don't cover usually their eggs with a mass of vegetation but bury them in mounds of soil or sand; some excavate nest holes. Two or more females may share a nest area.

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American Crododile Picture


Size:
Body length, 71/2-12 feet ( confirmed record 15 feet)
Weight, 150-450 lbs.
Life Cycle:
Sexual maturity, when they are about 7 feet long, usually10-12 years of age
Life span, 60-70 years in stable environment
Reproduction:
Mating Season: March-May (in the US… usually timed to dry season throughout range)
Number of eggs: 20-60, average 38
Incubation: Approx. 90 days
Diet:
Juvenile, invertebrates especially insects, small reptiles, amphibians and fish
Adults, fish, turtles, snakes, small mammals, birds
Predators: Hawks, perhaps larger carnivorous mammals including bobcats and mountain lions
Social Structure: Solitary
Territory Size: Unknown
Conservation Status: Endangered

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