<
https://theconversation.com/nocturnal-basking-and-deep-diving-may-not-be-enough-to-keep-crocodiles-cool-in-a-warming-world-248655>
"Crocodiles are hardy creatures, capable of adjusting their behaviour to cope
with the heat of the tropics. But there’s a limit to their endurance.
Our new research shows the average body temperature of estuarine (saltwater)
crocodiles in Far North Queensland has risen steadily over the past 15 years.
The peaks align with heatwaves during El Niño events.
We tagged and tracked 203 crocodiles in the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on
Cape York Peninsula, to find out how they respond to rising temperatures. We
know from our previous research that crocodiles can change their behaviour to
quickly cool down, and might do this by diving deeper, seeking shade or hauling
themselves out onto the riverbank at night.
We found hot crocodiles displayed more of these cooling behaviours, but this
was not always enough to keep their body temperature under control. Crocodile
diving performance decreased at body temperatures above 31–33°C. This could
compromise other behaviours necessary for feeding, fleeing or reproducing."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
