So You Want to Know About the Birds and the Bees...

          As seen in the digestive and circulatory systems, reproduction for crocodilians is observed to be more complex than any other reptile due to complex nesting and courtship methods. Crocodilians reproduce sexually between a male and female and it has been seen that courtship takes place during the months of January and February. During the courtship, males must first attract a mate and they do so by performing a series of head slaps on the water’s surface. If a nearby female is interested, she will raise her head and arch her tail to let the male know she is interested. Once a male recognized a female has responded to him, he will make a complex vibration with his body and will engage the female. After the male has engaged the female, a series of events will take place, such as rubbing snouts and submerging, with sexual intercourse being the final event. After fertilization has taken place the male will then leave the female and continue about his life until the next mating season comes around, but the female has a long process ahead of her.
               

          Nesting takes place during the months of April and early May when the wet season is in full affect. The female must build a nest for her eggs that must be high above water level because the crocodilian eggs will not survive flooding. Female crocodiles will often build their nests out of sand, mud, and surrounding vegetation. It is crucial that the female build the nest with enough material that it will have small temperature variation in it because the sex of the hatchlings is dependent on temperature and will not be determined immediately after the eggs are laid.
               

           Once the female lays her batch, which normally range from 20 to 60 eggs, she will cover the hole or mound that she has created for her nest and will let them incubate until they hatch. Most females do not remain around their nests, but they will return towards the end of incubation to listen for the cries of the new hatchlings and will uncover the nest to assist them in getting out. Once the new hatchlings have successfully escaped the nest, they are virtually on their own. Sometimes the mothers will care for their young for a few weeks or direct them to a protected area near the water, but there is not an absolute pattern that all crocodiles follow and more often than not the young hatchlings are left to fend for themselves. When these young are left to fend for themselves, they may encounter a number of organisms in different ways of Interaction.