Rare crocodile breeding success

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park reported to Historic City News that, in addition to over twenty species of crocodilians, they now have three brand new slender-snouted crocodiles — and 13 more are on the way.

Two of the babies hatched on exhibit, and the third in an incubator.

“We have already learned that the parents opened the nest and carried the eggs to the water to free their young from the eggs,” Director John Brueggen says. “They are both fantastic parents, defending their babies very aggressively.”

African slender-snouted crocodiles are rarely bred in captivity and little is known about their habits in the wild.

This is a very important pairing as both of these animals are wild caught and have never bred in captivity prior to this. Their genes are an important part of the population of mecistops cataphractus in captivity.

Also hatching recently, bite-sized, baby dwarf crocodiles — which are among the smallest at the Alligator Farm; just reaching less than five feet when fully grown.

Photo credits: © 2010 Historic City News contributed photograph by John Brueggen