{"id":310049,"date":"2021-07-28T11:04:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T08:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/amorous-pursuit-imperils-cuban-croc\/"},"modified":"2021-07-28T11:04:57","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T08:04:57","slug":"amorous-pursuit-imperils-cuban-croc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/amorous-pursuit-imperils-cuban-croc\/","title":{"rendered":"#Amorous pursuit imperils Cuban croc"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Amorous pursuit imperils Cuban croc<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"The
\n The Cuban crocodile is listed as “critically endangered,” with just a few thousand specimens left.
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Being too coveted a mating partner can have its downside for a species faced with extinction, as the Cuban crocodile has learned.<\/p>\n


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Arduous pursuit by its amorous American counterpart has seen survival of the island species, its numbers already dwindling, further threatened by hybridization.<\/p>\n

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Cuban crocodile population has declined more than 80 percent over three generations.<\/p>\n

Known to scientists as Crocodylus rhombifer, the black-and-yellow freshwater reptile is listed as a “critically endangered” species.<\/p>\n

Hybridization is one of the main threats to its survival, according to the IUCN, along with hunting for meat\u2014in large part for tourist restaurant menus.<\/p>\n

Today, the scaly predator’s island-wide range has been largely limited to the Zapata Swamp some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Havana.<\/p>\n

But it is not alone. <\/p>\n

The American Crocodylus acutus, a fresh- and saltwater specimen, is also found here, and seems to enjoy the company of its Cuban counterpart\u2014perhaps a little too much. <\/p>\n

Already at the Zapata natural reserve, one in two crocs is a hybrid, conservationists say.<\/p>\n

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\n The Cuban crocodile lives in freshwater and is smaller and more aggressive than its American counterpart.
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Natural or not?<\/b><\/p>\n

But gene mixing may not necessarily be a bad thing.<\/p>\n

“One has to remember that hybridization also plays a role in evolution, in the app<\/a>earance of new species,” said Etiam Perez-Fleitas, an exotic species expert at the Zapata reserve.<\/p>\n

The question for scientists now is whether this particular mixing of the gene pool is good or bad.<\/p>\n

If the phenomenon is the result of human-induced stresses, it has to be stopped, explained Perez-Fleitas. But if it is natural, it might be best to leave well alone.<\/p>\n

As sometimes happens naturally, hybridization could result in a more resistant species, combining the aggression of the smaller Cuban crocodile and the adaptability of its more timid American cousin.<\/p>\n

The American crocodile, listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN, is native to countries of northern South America, the Caribbean, central America and the tip of Florida.<\/p>\n

“Our research is focused on finding out whether this is natural hybridization,” said Perez-Fleitas.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, a 2008 genetic study has allowed scientists to distinguish Cuban crocs from hybrids, and to exclude the latter from captive breeding programs.<\/p>\n

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\"Collecting
\n Collecting crocodile eggs is a risky business.
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No other like it<\/b><\/p>\n

At the Zapata reserve, some 500 to 1,000 baby Cuban crocs are born into semi-captivity every year, of which about a hundred are released into the wild.<\/p>\n

AFP visited the project on a day when workers were collecting eggs from croc nests to be placed in an incubator\u2014which vastly improves their chances of hatching.<\/p>\n

It is a risky business, and five men with large sticks surrounded the nest mound as another dug for eggs, ready to repel a sudden toothy attack from the water or the tall grass nearby.<\/p>\n

Each female lays about 20 to 40 eggs, which spend some 80 to 85 days incubating.<\/p>\n

Zapata reserve employee Jorge Luis Monero, 56, holds a young specimen measuring about half a meter in his arms, and insists its profile is reminiscent of the distinct elongated shape of the island of Cuba.<\/p>\n

“In the Americas, there is no other crocodile like the Cuban,” he said. <\/p>\n

But in spite of the animal’s uniqueness, Perez-Fleitas said preserving a pure breed is not necessarily the best option, and cautioned against deciding too hastily on the way forward.<\/p>\n

When dealing with a creature that can live up to 70 years in captivity, it is better to have “very long-term plans,” the specialist said.<\/p>\n

“Maybe in 100 years, it will be the hybrids that need protecting,” he added.<\/p>\n\n

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Endangered Cuban crocodiles released into the wild\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2021 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Dangerous attraction: Amorous pursuit imperils Cuban croc (2021, July 28)
\n retrieved 28 July 2021
\n from https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2021-07-dangerous-amorous-pursuit-imperils-cuban.html<\/p>\n

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