Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii)

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The Morelet's Crocodile

The Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) is a small member of the crocodile family that is currently listed as endangered. The most prominent threat for this crocodile is hunting as the skin is smoother than other crocodiles with very few osteoderms, which are bony plates on the skin. Because of this, they are prized for making leather which is used for clothing and other accessories. In some areas, crocodile eggs are also hunted and used for food. They are also in danger from their native habitat being cleared.

Morelet’s Crocodile is found on the Atlantic Oceanic coast of Mexico, down the Yucatan Peninsula, in Guatemala and Beliz. They are typically found in freshwater areas in swamps and forests, but they have been sighted in more brackish water in recent years along the coast. The young crocodiles are often found in grassy patches, using the high growth as cover from predators. In the dry season, adult crocodiles often retreat to underground burrows or burying themselves in mud, hybernating until the rains return.

The Morelet’s Crocodile is relatively small as far as crocodiles are concerned, only reaching a length of 9-10 feet (3 meters). Since some of the largest reptiles in the world are crocodiles, even this large size is considered small by normal crocodile standards. The snout of the reptile is relatively broad, and it is lined with 66-68 teeth. The skin of the neck is covered with thick, hard scales, and the skin is a dark, grayish-brown. It has many dark markings and stripes. Young crocodiles are much lighter, with the skin being a yellow color with black bands and stripes. The eyes are a very distinctive silvery brown.

Young crocodiles eat small invertebrate animals that they find around or in the water. They will also hunt and eat small fish. As the Morelet’s Crocodile grows and develops, the diet varies and will often include larger fish, small mammals, reptiles, and turtles. Crocodiles have also been known to go after domestic animals and will scavenge if they need to.

Interesting Fact: The jaw of the crocodile is made up of very specialized muscles. When the jaw is closing, the muscles contract with enough force to easily crush and break the bones of the animals that the crocodile is eating. When it is opening, however, the muscles have much less force and can easily be held closed by human hands.

Crocodiles usually reach sexual maturity at around ten years of age. Just before the rainy season starts, female crocodiles will begin building a nest that measures approximately (3 meters) wide and is mounded. It is often located on top of the water in piles of floating debris or right offshore, near the water’s edge. A Morelet’s Crocodile mother will then lay 20-45 eggs into this nest. It has been noted that often several females will use the same nest to lay their eggs. The eggs take about 80 days to hatch, and, during this time, the nest is fiercely guarded by female crocodiles until hatching. When the baby crocodiles begin to break their shells, they make noises which alert the mothers, who will then open the nest to let the babies out. Mother crocodiles will often introduce the young to the water by physically carrying them in their mouths. Both males and females will then protect the young crocodiles from predators until they are big enough to defend themselves.

Further Information on the Morelet's Crocodile:

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Bibliography:
Crocodile (Reptile). Encarta Encyclopedia, © 2000.
Crocodylus moreletii. Accessed on 08/22/04 at http://www.vivanatura.org/Crocodylus%20moreletii.html
Crocodilian Species - Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii). Accessed on 08/22/04 at http://www.vivanatura.org/Crocodylus%20moreletii.html.