West African crocodiles Crocodylus suchus are active thermoregulators

FRANCOIS CLARAC; ZILCA CAMPOS; OLIVIER MARQUIS

The Herpetological Bulletin is a quarterly publication in English. It includes full-length papers, natural history notes, book reviews, and other items of general herpetological interest. Emphasis is placed on natural history and conservation as well as captive care that includes breeding, husbandry, veterinary, and behavioural aspects.

01. West African crocodiles Crocodylus suchus are active thermoregulators

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https://doi.org/10.33256/hb176.16

AUTHORS: FRANCOIS CLARAC, ZILCA CAMPOS & OLIVIER MARQUIS

ABSTRACT: Our earlier investigation of body temperature in the dwarf caiman Paleosuchus palpebrosus has shown that this species is a thermoconformer and that this behaviour is associated with habitat niche-specific body-size reduction. In contrast larger, habitat-generalist caiman species are thermoregulators. This led us to investigate the West African crocodile Crocodylus suchus which is a rather small-sized species that has recently been identified as distinct from the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus, and at least in north-west Africa is a niche specialist inhabiting permanent mountain rock pools (gueltas) and flood plains (tâmoûrts). We compared daily body temperature variations of captive C. suchus and C. niloticus in Morocco and found that, despite a smaller size and habitat specialism, C. suchus is not a thermoconformer but like C. niloticus is an active thermoregulator with marked daily body temperature oscillations. In this regard, we suggest that in crocodiles smaller size per se is not related to a switch from active thermoregulation to thermoconformity.