Know your enemy: Deadly Burmese pythons: Summer means it's time for biologists to crank out necropsies His remains were soon found in two captured crocodiles, one 13.5 feet long, the other a 9-footer. In late April a 65-year-old man who was fishing at Kennedy Bend in northern Australia disappeared. If you find yourself in the water with a large saltie, it's a good bet you're considered prey. And despite being called salties, they can tolerate brackish and freshwater. The natural range of Crocodylus porosus is enormous, stretching from India to Australia and many places between. That often puts it in rivers and estuaries. It gets its name from its ability to tolerate salty water, but generally prefers coastal areas with brackish water. It has the strongest bite of any animal on the planet. The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile and, like the Nile crocodile, a killer of humans. "A Nile crocodile would take the dog and the owner." "Alligators grab dogs walking by the water with their owners," he said. The Nile crocodile thinks everything is prey to them, he said. "American crocodiles are sweet by comparison," Beever said "I don’t feel threatened by them." He said he's been in the water with them and they are much more interested in catching fish. Also, they live mainly in freshwater habitats, while American crocodiles generally prefer saltwater and live along the coast.īut what makes Nile crocodiles more of a threat is that they are more aggressive than American crocodiles, said Jim Beever, a Southwest Florida biologist and natural resources expert. Male Nile crocodiles usually top out at 16.5 feet, about the same length as the largest American crocodiles, but some Nile crocodiles can grow to 20 feet long. When the crocodile was recaptured in March 2014 in Everglades National Park it had grown to 5½ feet long.Ĭrocodylus niloticus has several differences from American crocodiles. The fourth crocodile found in the wild was about 2 feet long when originally captured in March 2012 in a canal in Homestead. In April 2009, Robert Freer captured a second Nile crocodile from a porch of a home in Miami.Ī third, 4-foot crocodile was captured in October 2011 in Homestead. When it was recaptured in 2000 it measured 9 feet. In 1996 or 1997, a young crocodile escaped from its enclosure at Billie Swamp Safari in Hendry County. A 2016 scientific report confirmed that Nile crocodiles had been found living wild in south Florida and that they could become established in the state. You've seen the frightening videos: a zebra or antelope tries to get a drink on an African riverbank when a Nile crocodile suddenly lunges out of the water, grabs them, spins them around and holds them underwater.Īt least four Nile crocodiles have already been captured in Florida. Warning: Some may already be here, even if not fully established. Here’s a list of some dangerous creatures that could end up in Florida swamps, forests, canals or ponds, maybe even your backyard. If Burmese pythons from the other side of the world can become established here, why not the larger green anaconda, which comes from South America? Crocodiles? Venomous snakes? There’s always a risk that other dangerous species besides the Burmese python could get a foothold in Florida. Python Week: How many wild critters does it take to grow a 13-foot python?ĭeadly Burmese pythons: Summer means it's time for biologists to crank out necropsiesįemale pythons targeted: Scout pythons help scientists battle spread of giant snakes as program passes 10th year Tips: How you can humanely kill a Burmese python and other big snake tips and pointers So if what gets loose is dangerous, we have a big problem. The problem is that just about anything that gets loose in Florida lives. Most invasive species, though a nuisance, aren’t likely to kill you. Some people release them on purpose to establish a wild population. Sometimes the animals just escape, or a violent storm gives them a jailbreak of sorts. Owners who release their exotic pets when they get too big. They get here in a variety of ways: Smugglers. Vincent Island, rhesus macaques in Ocala, Nile monitors in Cape Coral, Vervet monkeys near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and thousands of monk parakeets throughout the state.ĪMAZING VIDEOS: Watch the best python videos from our archives. If it was just Burmese pythons, that would be bad enough.īut Florida is crawling with invasive animals: Sambar deer on St.
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