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In Gabon, known for its geological diversity and wildlife, scientists were surprised to discover orange crocodiles, unique in the world, living among bat droppings in caves.
I came with my flashlight in the cavern, I saw red eyes … crocodile in 2008. Two years later, we released a first specimen of the cave and we got glimpses that he was orange, "recalls the geo-archaeologist. archaeological sediments) Richard Oslisly
An extraordinary double discovery that occurred while he and a team of investigators were trying to find remains of human presence in the caves of Abanda, in southern Gabon [19659002The"orangecrocodilecaveman"accordingtoOslislyitisuniqueintheworldandhasonlybeenseeninthecavesoftheAfricancountry
"At first we thought the color could be due to their diet, since we found that reptiles eat orange bats," says the French researcher.
But after more meticulous studies, scientists present other hypotheses: a "depigmentation" caused by the lack of light in these caves or the harmfulness of guano. composed of bat droppings in which these animals move throughout their underground lives.
"The urine of bats began to attack their skin and change its color," says Olivier Testa, spelunker and member of the scientific team. 19659002] Oslisly, Testa and American researcher Matthew Shirley have multiplied scientific expeditions since 2010 to better understand these crocodiles.
When mapping the caves, they found four orange crocodiles on about 40 specimens of this "caveman" species. Dozens of crocodiles with "normal" pigmentation live in nearby caves connected to the surface, says Testa, while specimens oranges live in caves that are accessible only by vertical wells.
– A Presence of 3,000 Years –
"We believe that dozens of crocodiles have been installed in the caves of Abanda years ago, which corresponds quite well to a period when the sea level had fallen and 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 while 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 layer
Shirley argues, however, that crocodiles may have settled in their cave by their own decision and that they can not be trapped there.
In total darkness, these animals survive with a river. special diet. In the caves there are no fish or shellfish, and they feed on bats, grasshoppers and crickets. "It's a particularly demanding environment," Shirley says.
According to the researchers, these specimens, whether they are orange or normal, belong to the group of dwarf crocodiles "Osteolaemus tetraspis" and are "mutations".
According to Shirley, the DNA of these specimens is not sufficiently different from the surface of their dwarf cousin to make a new species, but these animals have developed their own "genetic signature".
Cave crocodiles have, indeed, a unique gene cluster passed down from generation to generation, scientists have found by comparing blood samples of troglodyte dwelling specimens with those of their dwarf cousins living only on 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".
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