How is Crocodile Incubation?

The Incubation of the crocodile Is a rigorous process with many influential factors throughout the development, which can hinder the hatching of the young.

Crocodiles are oviparous animals; Its method of reproduction is through eggs. The Females can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, but this depends on their species or the area where they live, among other factors.

At least 1% of eggs are the ones that actually survive. The eggs are oval and have a hard and hard shell.

As I said before, incubation is a delicate process where the temperature should be above 28 degrees centigrade but less than 33 degrees.

It is this same element that determines the sex of the crocodiles to be born, because these animals do not have chromosomes in their genes and they do not depend on the sex of their future children.

If the constant temperature during incubation of the eggs is 28 to 30 degrees Celsius, the development is slower, and in turn, all that survive will be females. On the other hand, if the temperature regularly is 32 to 33 degrees Celsius, the litter will be pure male crocodiles.

Crocodiles, from their mating time to the birth of their children, become more violent than normal, especially females.

They are concerned at all times to create a nest suitable for their development, but also to prevent other predators from eating their offspring.

An interesting fact is that the different scientists and scholars of these animals consider that crocodiles are one of the species of Reptiles More careful with their children. You may also want to see the Incubation of the emperor penguin: phases of the process .

Process the incubation of the crocodiles

Mating process

Crocodiles are very territorial animals and, as mentioned above, from this time their aggressiveness increases because they are very demanding with the couple with which they will mate. They even make a great show to keep other animals from getting closer and away from other crocodiles.

Female crocodiles reach maturity and it is determined that they are ready to mate from the 10 years of life.

However, in males the process takes a little longer; They can reproduce when they reach the age of 16. Often, this period begins in the middle of the year and lasts about two months.

The process just begins when a female passes through the territory of a male, he will take the signals from the female body to decide whether to begin to prowl or pretend. Then, he approaches her, brushing her body and waiting for the crocodile to respond.

This species of animals is fascinating, because they are usually very communicative and generate sounds at different times, which allow your potential partner to know if the answer is positive.

If so, mating is done underwater (not very deep) and can last several days, trying to get as many eggs as possible.

This is considered the nuptial stop and for reproduction to be given in full, the female should allow the male to place its front legs on its shoulders and finally, to mount on top of it.

The male will then bow and the female will raise its tail, allowing its reproductive organs to come into contact and mating. This process or contact lasts only one minute at most.

Incubation process

Just then, the females move away, but not too much, because it is convenient for them to have their nest close to the water, both to maintain a cool temperature and to help their children at the time of their birth.

The incubation process usually lasts from 80 to 100 days, all depends on different climatic factors that can slow or accelerate the process.

Thanks to the good memory that these animals have, they can dig and create their own nests, hiding in an excellent way the entrance, but allowing them to remember where they were located. This protects other animals that may harm the safety of eggs.

When their birth is near, the crocodiles in the shells begin to emit a series of sounds, like grunts that communicate to their mother that they are about to be born (for that reason, is that they are said to be communicative animals). Then the mother begins to take the eggs with her mouth.

Most people may come to think that crocodiles are eating their young, however, they are just splitting their shells to make it easier for them to get out.

Generally, they also take them to the water to start at once to fend for themselves. At this stage, they mostly feed on insects, until they learn to hunt.

Crocodiles at birth weigh about 70 grams and grow about 30 centimeters per year. They reach adult size at 7 or 8 years.

References

1. Webb, G. and Cooper, H. (1989). Effects of incubation temperature on crocodiles and the evolution of reptilian oviparity. American Zoologist, 29 (3), 953-971. Retrieved from: az.oxfordjournals.org.
2. Hutton, J.M. (1987). Incubation temperatures, sex ratios and sex determination in a population of Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus). Journal of Zoology, 211 (1), 143-155. Retrieved from: onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
3. Van, R., Bauwens, D., Braña, F., and Verheyen, R. (1992). Incubation temperature differentially affects hatching time, egg survival, and hatchling performance in the lizard Podarcis muralis. Herpetologica , 220-228. Retrieved from: jstor.org.
4. Allsteadt, J., & Lang, J.W. (1995). Incubation temperature affects body size and energy reserves of hatchling American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Physiological Zoology, 68 (1), 76-97. Retrieved from: journals.uchicago.edu.
5. Piña, C., Larriera, A., Medina, M., and Webb, G. (2007). Effects of incubation temperature on the size of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) at hatching and after one year. Journal of Herpetology, 41 (2), 205-210. Retrieved from: bioone.org.
6. Carlos, I., Larriera, A., and Siroski, P. Cocodrilos in the Coastal Region: species, geographical distribution, way of life. Miscellaneous, 12 , 318. Retrieved from: insugeo.org.ar.
7. Magaña, FGC, & Mena, OSA Success of hatching of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and the turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico (Hatching success of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and Olive ridley turtle Olivacea) in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico).
8. Hernández, P., Vega, F., Hernández, H., Cupul, F. G., and García, R. (2013). Hatching success by artificial incubation in Crocodylus acutus (Reptilia: Crocodylia) nests in captivity. Herpetology notebooks, 27 (1), 71-75. Retrieved from: scielo.org.ar.