Diet of the American Crocodile (<i>Crocodylus acutus</i>) in Marine Environments of Coastal Belize

Thorbjarnarson, John B.; Rainwater, Thomas R.; Martin, David R.

doi:10.1670/12-077

Cited by 47 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Crocodiles were classified as hatchlings (SVL <15 cm), small juveniles (SVL 15.1–40 cm), large juveniles (SVL 40.1–65 cm), subadults (SVL 65.1–90 cm), and adults (SVL >90 cm), as these categories are thought to reflect size–age relationships (Platt et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This process was repeated three or four times until water came out clear (free from ingesta; Platt et al. ). This method has proved to be safe and highly effective, recovering up to 95% of prey and non‐food items from crocodylian stomachs (Fitzgerald , Rice et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also used the Shannon‐Wiener diversity index ( H ′) to estimate dietary niche breadth and the degree of dietary specialization for each crocodile age group (Schoener , Platt et al. ). These data were standardized from 0 to 1 using the evenness measure ( J ′) as recommended by Platt et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Platt et al. ). Species inhabiting hyperosmotic environments (as in our case) are undoubtedly affected by what they eat, using diet as an osmoregulation control (Leslie and Taplin ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thorbjarnarson (), Villegas and Schmitter‐Soto (), and Platt et al. () identified aquatic insects, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals in crocodile stomachs from brackish lakes and coastal areas in Haiti, Mexico, and Belize based on flushing techniques. Casas‐Andreu and Barrios‐Quiroz () analyzed fecal samples from a lagoon in Mexico, identifying mammal hair, bird feathers, reptile and fish scales, crustaceans, insects, and seeds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food habits and ontogenetic dietary partitioning of American crocodiles in a tropical Pacific Island in Central America

et al. 2018

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Studies on food habits are fundamental to understanding the ecology of a species and its interactions with the community to which it belongs. Among crocodylians, diet affects a variety of biological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics. However, despite having one of the largest distributions across the Americas, some aspects of Crocodylus acutus’ natural history remain poorly studied, particularly in insular areas. We characterized American crocodiles’ food habits in Coiba Island, Panama, assessing ontogenetic dietary variation and dietary overlap by age group and size. We captured and collected stomach content samples from 49 individuals from four transects from March to December 2013. From these samples, we could taxonomically identify three phyla, four subphyla, eight classes, 11 orders, 17 families, 14 genera, and 12 species as prey items. However, not all samples could be identified to the lowest taxon (species), having most of them identified only to family level. Large juveniles had the largest proportion of prey items and subadults the largest proportion of gastroliths and vegetal content. Percent occurrence per major categories (insects, arachnids, crustaceans, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals) showed crustaceans and insects as the most prominent groups of prey items on this island. Overlapping group analysis showed a reduction in the consumption of invertebrates (crustaceans and insects) as individuals aged. However, these items were the most common throughout all American crocodiles sampled. Dietary overlap analyses showed a likely ontogenetic dietary partitioning with high overlap (>60%) between small and large juveniles and low overlap (<30%) among small juveniles, subadults, and adults. To date, 71 species have been reported as prey items for American crocodiles. However, relying on prey items identified only to genus, we had at least 97 prey items. Thus, C. acutus can be defined as generalist with a broad spectrum of prey inhabiting all types of habitats and having all types of consumption classifications. Overall, American crocodiles inhabiting coastal areas present some differences in both dietary composition and structure with those dwelling inland and freshwater habitats as well as an interindividual diet variation, which reflects the plasticity and adaptability of C. acutus to a variety of conditions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Platt et al. ). Species inhabiting hyperosmotic environments (as in our case) are undoubtedly affected by what they eat, using diet as an osmoregulation control (Leslie and Taplin ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food habits and ontogenetic dietary partitioning of American crocodiles in a tropical Pacific Island in Central America

et al. 2018

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Release of critically endangered crocodiles: Development and application of a food web approach to determine suitability of release habitat

McInerney

Shackleton

Rees

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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The Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is a critically endangered medium‐size crocodilian endemic to Southeast Asia. Extirpated from much of its natural range, conservation efforts in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia include the release of captive‐reared juveniles and sub‐adults into river reaches known to support adult C. siamensis populations. Despite conservation concerns, the biology of wild C. siamensis is not well studied and the ecology of ecosystems at release locations is poorly understood. Fish are thought to comprise a major component of the diet of C. siamensis. Here, the aim was to characterize fish communities within three potential C. siamensis release locations, focusing on community composition, density, size class structure and food web dynamics. The survey sites varied in both C. siamensis density and human fishing pressure, and the results are interpreted in light of these drivers. Genomic interrogation of fishes of the Cardamom Mountains distinguished 13 distinct fish species, contributing to genetic databases and adding to the documented taxon list for the region. The presence of two previously unconfirmed fish genera in the region is confirmed. The first estimates of fish density, biomass and size class distribution for three rivers in the Cardamom Mountains are provided. The three potential C. siamensis release reaches that were sampled showed clear differences in fish community composition, structural and trophic dynamics. Fish density and biomass were highest in the high‐density C. siamensis survey reach and lowest in the high human fishing pressure reach. Survey reaches with food webs that were more reliant on autochonously driven food webs supported higher densities and biomass of fish. These results have important implications for future C. siamensis conservation efforts in Cambodia and contribute valuable ecological information on a relatively unexplored region.

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Use of diet and body condition assessments as intermediate indicators of translocation success in the Critically Endangered Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

Brown

Shirley

Yog-yog

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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Intermediate metrics of translocation success are useful for long‐lived, slow to mature species where survival and reproduction happen over decades. With fewer than 150 individuals in the wild, the Critically Endangered Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is one of the most threatened species on Earth. This study presents the first analysis of diet and body condition of wild Philippine crocodiles and headstarted (i.e. captive‐reared) individuals released into the wild over the last decade, and uses these results to show how diet and body condition can be pertinent intermediate metrics of translocation success. Analyses of stomach contents revealed 17 different aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate and vertebrate prey species. Interestingly, 70% of Philippine crocodiles showed snails to be the predominent prey type, followed by fish (36.7%), birds (33.3%) and reptiles (33.3%). More than 50% of crocodiles consumed the invasive golden apple snail, a leading agricultural pest. Regardless of crocodile history (wild vs. headstarted) or size class (juvenile vs. adult), no evidence was found for dietary differences in percentage occurrence, percentage composition or prey diversity. Body condition was significantly higher in wild compared with headstarted individuals when analysed together in a pooled group, although neither group differed significantly from the standardized expectation, and headstarted individuals were not significantly different when body condition was derived independently for the two groups. This study provides a working example of how assessing the convergence of diet and body condition between translocated and wild individuals can provide complementary monitoring parameters to demonstrate post‐release establishment of translocated crocodylians. The congruent dietary composition and comparable body condition observed in this study suggest that headstarted crocodiles adapt well following release. Crocodylus mindorensis survives in an agricultural landscape and is likely to play an ecologically important role by exploiting invasive species, reinforcing the importance of this species to local communities.

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Diet of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Marine Environments of Coastal Belize

Cited by 47 publications

References 40 publications

Food habits and ontogenetic dietary partitioning of American crocodiles in a tropical Pacific Island in Central America

Food habits and ontogenetic dietary partitioning of American crocodiles in a tropical Pacific Island in Central America

Release of critically endangered crocodiles: Development and application of a food web approach to determine suitability of release habitat

Use of diet and body condition assessments as intermediate indicators of translocation success in the Critically Endangered Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

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