Endangered Crocodile Lays Eggs at Wildlife Park

September 2007

Cotswold Wildlife Park erupted in cheers as one of the world's most endangered crocodiles laid more than three dozen eggs in her enclosure in the Reptile House.

Morticia, the new mum, is a Morelet's crocodile. This species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Reserves. The Morelet's crocodile, which comes from Central America, was nearly hunted to extinction in the 1950s.

Morticia laid 39 eggs, and she is one of the very few Morelet's crocodiles producing eggs in Europe. The eggs were later removed from the nest and transferred to an incubator as a crowd of visitors watched in fascination.

Morticia and her mate, Gomez, also produced eggs last year, but they all failed to hatch much to the disappointment of Zoo veterinary surgeons. Experts believe that the new batch of eggs have a better chance of hatching due to a number of features added to the incubators since last year. The new features, like ultraviolet lights in the incubator, are expected to help keep the eggs at the optimal temperature for fertilisation.

The speckled white eggs, which weigh about 50g each, will be incubated for 80 days. Everyone at the Cotswold Wildlife Park are keeping their fingers crossed.

For specialist advice on keeping a lizard as a pet call 08456 589 599

Reptile Starter Kits

Many people are discovering the joys of reptile keeping and our starter kits are a perfect introduction. These reptile starter kits have been designed by reptile expert Jon Coote, with the first time owner in mind. If it's other reptile care products you are looking for then use the search facility above or browse products using the left hand navigation.