Orange crocodiles found in Gabon – Environment – Life

In Gabon, known for its geological diversity and wildlife, scientists were surprised to discover orange crocodiles unique in the world, living in the middle of guano, bat droppings, in caves

"When I approached with my lantern in the cave, I saw red eyes of a crocodile.In 2008, two years later, we took a first specimen of the cave that it was orange "recalls geoarchaeologist Richard Oslisly. An extraordinary double discovery that occurred while he and a team of investigators were trying to find remnants of human presence in the caves of Abanda, in southern Gabon.

The "caveman crocodile" – as it was called to the specimen – which can measure up to 1 meter with 70 centimeters, is unique in the world and has not been seen in the caves of the African country, according to Oslisly. "At first, we thought that the color could be due to their diet, since we found that these reptiles eat bats orange," says the French researcher.

But, after more meticulous studies, the scientists presented other hypotheses: a "depigmentation" caused by the lack of light in these caves or the harmfulness of guano, a compound substance of bat droppings in whatever these animals move in their entire underground life. "The urine of bats started attacking their skin and transforming their color," says Olivier Testa, spelunker and member of the science team.

Oslisly, Testa and the American researcher Matthew Shirley have multiplied since 2010 scientific expeditions to better know these crocodiles . When mapping the caves, they found four orange crocodiles on about 40 specimens of this "cave" species.

Dozens of "normal" pigmentation crocodiles live in neighboring caves connected to the surface, says Testa, while orange specimens live in caves that can only be accessed by wells vertical.

A presence of three thousand years [19659010] " We believe that dozens of crocodiles were installed in the caves of Abanda about 3,000 years ago which corresponds quite well to a period when the sea level had fallen and where this coastal area was again terrestrial, "says Shirley.

The orange crocodiles were probably trapped in the cave" after entering the hallways when they were little "and not being able to get out of there by growing up According to Oslisly

Several more or less narrow and interconnected corridors form a network of caves in Abanda and are sometimes inundated by the rising waters of the water table. S hirley maintains, however, that the crocodiles may have been settled in their cave by their own decision and that perhaps they are not trapped there.

In total darkness, these animals survive with a particular diet. In the caves there are no fish or shellfish, and they feed on bats, grbadhoppers and crickets. "It's a particularly demanding environment," says Shirley. According to the researchers, these specimens, both oranges and individuals of normal color, belong to the group of dwarf crocodiles "Osteolaemus tetraspis" and are "mutating".

The DNA of these specimens is not sufficiently different from the surface of their dwarf cousin to make a new species, says Shirley, but these animals have developed their own "genetic signature". Cavity crocodiles have, indeed, a unique group of genes pbaded down from generation to generation Scientists have verified by comparing blood samples of troglodyte dwelling specimens with those of their cousins who live only in the surface in Gabon.

Although the crocodile is already a protected species in Gabon, Oslisly advocates that the caves of Abanda become a "fully protected sanctuary". "There is still much to discover in the caves of Abanda", says the geoarchaeologist, who hopes to promote "scientific tourism"

AFP