UF researchers found a record number of crocodile hatchlings this year in South Florida.
Over the summer, UF’s Croc Doc team of biologists in Fort Lauderdale marked and released crocodile eggs in Everglades National Park.
The Croc Doc team marked and released 962 hatchlings in the park, up from last year’s 554, according to a UF press release.
Jeff Beauchamp, UF wildlife biologist and the alligator and crocodile project manager, said the increase in egg survival is the result of continued restoration efforts in the Everglades.
Since the early 2000s, there has been a steady increase in crocodile population numbers. While hatchling numbers are a good sign, their survival rate is usually only about 5 percent, Beauchamp said.
Franklin Percival, a UF associate professor who studies reptiles, said crocodiles are used as an indicator for restoration efforts because they live in both brackish and salt water.
"It’s a good sign when one-year surveys turn out like that," he said. "It gives hope and indicates a good future."
Beauchamp said that even though numbers were up this year, there is no way to guess the number of hatchlings next year.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/26/2014]
