program to increase the public's tolerance to large 

 breeding-sized individuals would appear manda- 

 tory. 



The Recovery Plan for the American croco- 

 dile has been approved (12 Feb 1979) and out- 

 lines steps to be taken to assure a self-sustaining 

 population throughout suitable habitat in the 

 United States. The plan calls for research to 

 determine habitat needs, habitat distribution, 

 crocodile distribution, habitat ownership, and 

 availability of crocodile habitat. The plan also 

 outlines action steps that may be necessary pend- 

 ing research findings, including controlling man- 

 related mortality, educating the public, increasing 

 recruitment by captive propagation and release, 

 reducing natural mortality, and protecting nesting 

 sites. 

 AUTHORITIES 



Howard W. Campbell (Recovery Team Leader) 

 National Fish and WildHfe Laboratory 

 412 N.E. 16th Ave, Room 250 

 Gainesville, FL 32601 



Tommy Hines (Recovery Team) 



Research Biologist 



Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish 



Commission 

 4005 South Main Street 

 GainesvUle, FL 32601 



Richard Klukas (Recovery Team) 

 Resource Management Specialist 

 National Park Service 

 Southeast Regional Office 

 1895 Phoenix Blvd. 

 Atlanta, GA 30349 



James A. Kushlan (Recovery Team) 

 Research Biologist 

 Everglades National Park 

 P.O. Box 279 

 Homestead, FL 33030 



Paul Moler 



Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish 



Commission 

 4005 South Main Street 

 Gainesville, FL 32601 



John C. Ogden (Recovery Team) 

 Research Biologist 

 National Audubon Society 

 115 Indian Mound Trail 

 Tavemier, FL 33070 



PREPARER'S COMMENTS 



Although no subspecies of the American 

 crocodile have been described, unpublished data 

 indicate that geographic variation in several char- 

 acters exists and studies are required to determine 

 the relationships of the Florida crocodile popula- 

 tion to other populations. It appears, on the basis 

 of available data, to be distinct on an average sub- 

 species level of difference from at least the Jamaica 

 and Pacific coast of Mexico populations. Its iso- 

 lated and peripheral status suggests that genetic 

 differentiation from other populations is a strong 

 possibility. 



LITERATURE CITED /SELECTED 

 REFERENCES 



Alvarez del Toro, M. 1969. Breeding the spec- 

 tacled caiman at Tuxtla Gutierrez Zoo. 

 Internat. Zoo Yearb. 9:35-36. 



. 1974. Los Crocodylia de Mexico (Estudio 



Comparativo). Ediciones de Inst. Mex. Re- 

 cursos Natur. Renovables, A.C. Mexico, D.F. 

 70 pp. 



Bothwell, D. 1962. The great outdoors book 

 of alligators and other crocodiUa. Great Out- 

 doors Publ. Co. St. Petersburg. 88 pp. 



Campbell, H. W. 1972. Ecological or phylo- 

 genetic interpretations of crocodilian nesting 

 habits. Nature 238 (5364):404-405. 



Carr, A. F. and C. J. Goin. 1955. Guide to the 

 reptiles, amphibians, and fresh-water fishes of 

 Florida. Univ. of Florida Press. Gainesville. 

 341 pp. 



Conant, R. 1975. A field guide to reptiles and 

 amphibians of eastern and central North 

 America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. 

 429 pp. 



Cott, H. B. 1961. Scientific results of an inquiry 

 into the ecology and economic status of the 

 Nile crocodile {Crocodylus niloticus) in 

 Uganda and northern Rhodesia. Trans. Zool. 

 Soc. London 29(4):21 1-357. 



Craighead, F. C. 1968. The role of the alligator in 

 shaping plant communities and maintaining 

 wildlife in the southern Everglades. Florida 

 Natur. 41(8):2-7, 69-74. 



