124
ALLIGATORROBB7 karma
Lots to reply to here. The biggest hurdles in crocodilian research are cultural beliefs. Some places they are worshiped some the are killed on sight and everything in between and those might be villages right next door to one another. They.dont typically go into a lab, the samples needed are taken in the field for the reasons you mention.
spacethunderstorm10 karma
What do you call a crocodile that likes to bowl? An alley-gator!
What does an alligator do when he loses his tail? He goes to a re-tail store
What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator!
/s
spacethunderstorm10 karma
Why did the female crocodile leave her husband?
He had a reptile dysfunction.
eskimoexplosion9 karma
Have you tried reaching out to Marvel about using Alligator Loki as a mascot to raise awareness?
spacethunderstorm9 karma
Now for a serious question.
Why dont we have alligators and crocs in Denmark, we have swamps and stuff.
Is it only due to the winter?
ALLIGATORROBB10 karma
Yes indeed. Historically according to fossil records there were crocodilians there!
savedbythehellfire2 karma
how long would a crocagator live in a cold climate if released to a local lake?
ALLIGATORROBB7 karma
Would depend. If they could find themselves into a culvert or underground area during winter. Long periods of time. I've see alligators in solid frozen water. Thaw out and swim away. There are rather incredible...think it just depends on how cold and how long it's that cold
baking_bad8 karma
Alligator hunting in FL has been legal but heavily regulated for around 20 years now. Has there been any research about how the hunting has affected alligator populations and the ecosystem here in FL?
ALLIGATORROBB6 karma
Yes there sure is. The size class of the animals have dropped tremendously over the years. It takes a long time to grow a large gator. Seeing as they live as long as people.
Caliterra2 karma
Is there a rough gator-length to age ratio? IE. 5-foot gator - 1 year old, 6 foot- 3 year old etc
ALLIGATORROBB8 karma
Sadly no...all depends on size of habit, heat and availability of food.
For instance in the farm. They can get a 7ft gator in 2 and a half years. In the wild that could take 15 or more for a male and a female that size could be 70
Caliterra2 karma
neat! going along with the farm topic, with mammalian predators I've often heard that tigers/lions etc that lived in captivity would not survive in the wild (due to diminished hunting skills or abilities). Does the same apply to crocs/alligators that have spent most of their lives in captivity?
ALLIGATORROBB8 karma
Not nearly. The problem on that side is they now associate people with food, it's kinda murder waiting to happen
Reephermaddness2 karma
That's so crazy to think a 70 year old gator. Even with a crocodillian brain it's GOT to have a few pearls of wisdom up in that noggin
Sunburn798 karma
Mama says that alligators are ornery cuz they got all them teeth but no toothbrush.
Would you agree?
StreetPen7 karma
Genuine question: Why should the public care about crocodiles? What role do they serve in an ecosystem?
ALLIGATORROBB8 karma
Nice! They are keystone species in every aspect. Providing living area, food and so much more to countless other animals.
They are also apex predators and have an endocrine system/hormones that are 99.9% that same as ours. So through testing of blood, urine, tissues. We can find environmental factors that will be giving us problems. Sentinel species...truly
StreetPen6 karma
That endocrine/hormone comparison aspect is fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
ALLIGATORROBB6 karma
Always! That's alot.of what I am currently studying through my NP with NC state Eearss.org
Waterrat2 karma
Are crocodiles and alligators ability to reproduce being altered by plastic and other pollutants?
Also,in the everglades,who is winning,the alligator or the python?
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
Start with ur last question first. The instances on TV are the rare times the alligator looses. Lots more snakes are eaten by gators than the other way around.
PFAs and PFOs PFOAs which we call forever chemicals...of which there are many in that class can alter hormones and decide sex of the offspring over temp.
Wrote a book on it. You can find at EEARSS.org
PprPusher6 karma
My 8year old son wants to study crocodilians when he grows up- you’re his hero! He’s got a couple questions.
Is a caiman technically a crocodile or an alligator? He’s read both & would like it settled.
Any interesting facts about gharials? He doesn’t know much about them & wants to know how they compare to the other crocodilians.
Thanks!!
ALLIGATORROBB11 karma
Wow thats awesome!! Please go to my NP website Eearss.org or instagram/facebook and drop me a message I will send him some goodies.
Caiman and alligators are in the same family (Alligatoridae) although you don't naturally find Alligator and Caiman in the same area in the wild. They are now introduced in south Florida and I've caught a few here.in central Florida.
Gharial are incredible. They are fish eating. One of the biggest obstacles to their conservation is the sand they nest in being used for building. The adults make pops and clicks underwater for communication. I hope they are still here for him to study when he is an adult.
PprPusher7 karma
Thanks for the response! It made my kid’s evening :) We’ll be checking out your sites soon!
mlorusso45 karma
What’s your opinion of Steve Irwin? Obviously the general public loves him, but what about the professional community?
ALLIGATORROBB9 karma
He is a big reason why many got interested in crocodilians. He brought awareness to the species and let people see they were something special
ALLIGATORROBB3 karma
Their red blood cells are nucleated...their endocrine hormones are identical to ours... Mapping out the entire chain has been done...but not quite so successfully yes
AerosolHubris5 karma
When crocs do a death roll is it always in the same direction? Are their left-handed and right-handed crocs that stay true to their nature but differ from each other? And is it genetic or learned?
ALLIGATORROBB6 karma
Sorry couldn't help myself. Nope they go which ever way they need. They will roll and not typically stop rolling the same direction although
ALLIGATORROBB8 karma
They never forget. And are seriously smart. They ain't doing their kids Calc homework, but what they do...there is nothing on the planet better...survive
ALLIGATORROBB5 karma
Good question. There are hybrids of many species of crocodile. American and Morelet, American and Cuban and now they have recently found American Cuban Morelet hybrid. Alligators and Crocodiles can not
TisTheWindAndNothing4 karma
Question from 5 year old: what is the biggest saltwater crocodile ever discovered?
(Big fan of suchuses)
ALLIGATORROBB5 karma
They claim that to be lolong....20 plus feet and over 2000 pounds...Giant of a lizard!
Big fan here too!
justscottaustin4 karma
What's the scariest situation you've run into dealing with animals who debate your position in the food chain?
ALLIGATORROBB5 karma
Catching them under neighborhoods...in 36inch or smaller pipes and meeting them face to face...makes you question your life choices haha
Blocktimus_Prime3 karma
How have Crocodilians responded to climate shifts in the fossil record and how do you think they will respond to the sudden shifts we are expecting over the next 100 years?
ALLIGATORROBB6 karma
Heat is a big deal for them. Temp determines see in the eggs. So a warming of the earth for any reason could big a huge impact...same.as.water level.
One thing we know...is they adapt better than anything. Survive is what they.do
almostbig3 karma
Even thou I'm brazilian, I can't seem to find much info about black caimans. How does their behavior compare to american alligators? What do they feed on usually?
ALLIGATORROBB3 karma
There isn't a ton out there about them. They are both dark. Feed on fish turtles and mammals. I understand they are very standoffish just Like the alligator.
I sadly don't have a ton of experience with the.species. here in the states. There are only a handful in zoos and they are all female. There might be 1 male out in Arizona... I wish I had more information about the species! Sorry hope that.was some help
almostbig3 karma
No worries. They are quite a rare sight anyway, I've spotted one once when I was living on western regions. This thing was gigantic, I'd assume around 13 or 14 feet. That spiked my curiosity since then.
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
I've heard arguments they get larger than the alligator. That's hard to imagine but there really isn't much of any work done on them
tetlich3 karma
Is it true that Crocodilians have incredibly stinky poop? What does it smell like compared to dog poop?
Also, what's the worst thing you've ever smelled while working with animals?
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
I don't think it's super pungent lol. I am a dog guy. And that's 100 times worse.
All about the smells lol
Hmm snake musk can be bad but the smell of a decomposing crocodilian is pretty awful.
tetlich2 karma
Oh yeah I've heard about snake musk. What does that smell like exactly? Different than poop? And it's super hard to wash off?
malcontented3 karma
How many people are killed per year in Costa Roca and The rest of Central America?
ALLIGATORROBB6 karma
I have some friends that run a site called crocbite You should check it out, they try to document all incidents via governments around the world. Think that'll have the information you seak 🙏
ALLIGATORROBB1 karma
Each species had a different sound, one of my personal research projects is recording the vocals from all 26 species...adult and juvenile. Some a bellows...so are squeaks or pops or clicks.
ALLIGATORROBB4 karma
Not many...most give their samples in the field and are released within 15 minutes of capture
randomaltname2 karma
It's my understanding that alligators are only in SE USA and China. How did they get separated?
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
Two different species of Alligator. Just like different species of crocodile all over the world
randomaltname2 karma
Yea, but aren't they the only two species? Seems weird that they'd be so far apart, unless one is an invasive species introduced by man.
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
They are very different. They have been documented there for a very very long time
MaStEr_MeLoN152432 karma
What's the main difference that you spot to see if the animal is an alligator or crocodile?
ALLIGATORROBB1 karma
Color, head shape...armor on their backs, over bite. They truly do look nothing alike
TigerMafiaFromUganda2 karma
Your thought on the Indian Gharial Population and endangerment ? Is there any way we can restore the population ?
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
Howdy there. They have so much against them. The sand they nest with being taken away. People fishing catching them in nets...pollution. It's possible through captive breeding maybe we could add some too the population but they again would be fighting the same problems. A man by the name of Jeff Lang has devoted his life to the Indian Gharial. We just had a fun raiser at the Tampa Zoo here in Florida for him. He is worth a google 🙏
ALLIGATORROBB1 karma
Yes. They are many that do the work that shouldn't be. Only takes one wrong move...to hurt urself or the animal
ScentofGrease2 karma
What do you think about the portrayal of an alligator in the movie "Happy Gilmore"?
ALLIGATORROBB1 karma
It holds Zero reality to it. But it was pretty obvious none of that movie did. Lol
Busy_Measurement92772 karma
How do you feel about the constant killing of crocodiles to make crocs?
Sebastian_reaper2 karma
Have you ever had the opportunity to visit Australia Zoo in a professional capacity?
Markdd82 karma
Is this 2019 article accurate?: Australian crocodiles blamed for spate of deaths in Timor-Leste. Excerpts:
...in the last few decades, the nation has seen a more than 20-fold increase in the number of crocodile attacks....Two Australian-based researchers...made the journey to Timor-Leste to see if this theory might be true, collecting DNA samples....
The existence of Australian crocodiles in Timor-Leste would also confirm that Australian efforts to conserve the animal, which was on the brink of extinction 50 years ago, are having an impact on the regional population. Since it was listed as protected in 1971, the Australian saltwater crocodile population has recovered to healthy levels...
Any more recent data on topic? Is suppressing croc populations via culling justified in some cases? CrocBITE estimates 1,000 people a year killed by crocs.
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
Nice you have ur crocbite data. Friends on mine that run that...outstanding men. The salties have had a huge come back. The only real reason to take a nuisance animal is the death of a person pet or livestock otherwise there shouldn't really ever be a call for it. Check out the iucncsg for more information on that currently.
RDMvb62 karma
What is currently unknown about crocodiles and alligators and how would finding this out benefit humans or the planet? Not trying to be snarky but I thought we have a pretty good understanding of these things by now.
ALLIGATORROBB2 karma
Good question. We know a teaspoon in about a 2000sq ft homes worth about them. Nobody can say for sure how long they live in the wild, nobody can currently explain why they don't get cancer...how their chromosomes can repair themselves. How their blood clotting factor works...I could go on and on. It.was until maybe the past 40 years that they started being studied and over the past 20 that there started being people understanding how important they were as apex predators from both sides...we can learn from what the eat and the parasites of the amount of them too. I could go on and on. But really very little is known currently
dapostrophus11 karma
What would you say has been the biggest hurdle you've had to overcome in the research? Do you often find your colleagues to be intimidated by the sharp teeth, or is the bigger issue all the problems one would expect to be caused by having a giant tail swinging around behind you in the lab everywhere you go? I'm sure the lack of opposable thumbs thing is probably what most people would expect you to say, but we've come a long way in our society in recent years toward overcoming such differences and making workplaces more accessible, so I would think that wouldn't necessarily rank so high. Maybe it's something I've never even considered. Tell us about the struggles a crocodilian such as yourself has to face as a researcher.
View HistoryShare Link