Aggressive, man-eating Nile crocodiles lived in the Everglades for years

[EspressoBuzz]

Aggressive, man-eating Nile crocodiles lived in the Everglades for years

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/20/aggressive-man-eating-nile-crocodiles-lived-in-the-everglades-for-years/

 

It’s a small problem, but invasive species almost always start out that way.

Researchers at the University of Florida examined the DNA of three reptiles pulled out of the Everglades swamp and found that they were invasive Nile crocodiles, and that they were probably related.

Here’s what worries scientists: Like other species humans have dumped in South Florida — Burmese pythons, Argentine tegus, Nile monitors, Cuban tree frogs — the Nile croc can thrive there. It’s the perfect environment. The crocs were caught between 2000 and 2014, and their diet and growth were studied. One escaped a zoo and survived for years, proving they can adapt, Kenneth Krysko, herpetology collections manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the university’s campus, said in a statement.

And, he said, there are probably more.

[The_Real_TCIII]

Have any of them eaten a man?

[EspressoBuzz]

“Nile crocodiles were responsible for at least 480 attacks on people and 123 fatalities in Africa between 2010 and 2014,” according to a statement on the museum’s website. “They are generalist predators and eat a wide variety of prey. In Florida, everything from native birds, fish and mammals to the state’s native crocodile and alligator would be fair game for the carnivorous croc.”

 

None in Florida by Nile crocs.

 

BUT....

http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Alligator-attacks-man-fleeing-Florida-police-379427581.html

 

Alligator attacks man fleeing Florida police