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Crocodylus actus can be found inhabiting both the Atlantic and
Pacific Ocean coasts in North America, Central America, and South
America. The only region this specimen can be found in North America
is in the southern part of Florida, mainly in
the swamps and
backwaters such as the Everglades. On the other hand, these
crocodiles can be found all throughout Central and the northern part
of South America including Venezuela, Columbia, and Ecuador. The
vast majority of countries off the southern coast of Florida and
Central America inhabit the greatest numbers of these specimens.
The American Crocodile has a very unique range of environments in
which it lives in, but all are aquatic locations. These animals tend
to live in freshwater rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, but can also be
found inhabiting brackish backwaters. Brackish water refers to water
that has a higher salinity than freshwater, but not as high as
saltwater. Examples of these are estuaries and swamps, areas where
freshwater and saltwater often meet. There is one specific case of
the Crocodylus actus living in a landlocked hyper-saline lake, which
means the lake has significantly higher levels of salt and
other
minerals than the ocean. This group is located in the Dominican
Republic and is known to be one of the only groups of Crocodylus
acutus that inhabit such an environment.
Are you beginning to wonder what sorts of characteristic separates
these crocodiles from other the crocodilians and alligators? Well move
on to
Adaptations to find out what
makes these animals special.