The Placencia Breeze
Page 20
December 2018
croc corner
Not Just the Crocs By MARISA TELLEZ Co-founder & Executive Director Crocodile Research Coalition marisa.tellez@crcbelize.org
T
he Crocodile Research Coalition (CRC) loves their crocs, we really do! BUT, when we talk the biz of conservation, we take a more panoramic approach in our research because conservation of crocodiles is not JUST about the focal species, but also identifying and studying the other wildlife, in addition to understanding the various ecological interactions within the environment. For example, what is the biodiversity of the crocodile’s closest living relative in the Placencia Lagoon, and how is the changing over time in response to human development and climate change? (So right now you are probably asking, “What animal is the crocodile’s closest living relative? Ready? ... BIRDS! Yup. Expert scientists have done thorough research that includes genetics, physiology, and morphology (just to name a few) and have concluded crocodilians and birds descended from a common ancestor from the Archosaur lineage. In fact, many of us crocodilian experts no longer call crocodilians “reptiles” anymore because they really are not. Within the next 1015 years, science books will no longer put crocodilians in Class Reptilia, but in a new taxonomic class with birds! (There is your fun fact for the day!) In January 2016, the CRC began weekly biodiversity surveys of the Placencia Lagoon, monitoring the avian and aquatic wildlife among various locations, in addition to monitoring parasites of snails. Parasites. Why parasites? Parasites are a fabulous biological indicator of the biodiversity within the environment, as well as being a red flag when there is a disturbance in "The Force," the energy flow or health within the environment that would otherwise
Identifying and studying other wildlife is an important part of CRC's research, which has revealed a greater understanding of Placencia's biodiversity.
not be detected by other traditional scientific methods and this is all due to parasites’ extreme interaction with wildlife hosts and the environment. So what are some key observations we have made? ● We conduct biodiversity surveys in seven different locations throughout the lagoon. Thus far we have observed 70 different species (from Bat Falcons to Osprey to Anhingas to Blue Herons to Yellow Warblers to Tropical Mockingbirds) throughout the lagoon, and we see a gradient from lower biodiversity to higher biodiversity as we go from the south to the north (which makes sense as there is more intact habitat as you go further north along the peninsula). ● With the assistance of our Next Gen Croc Placencia student Erica Holding, we recorded the first Altamira Oriole sighted in this area, observed in Maya Beach! ● Manatees seem to like to hang out more often in the northern part of the lagoon, from Coco Plum area to Plantation, so IF YOU OWN A BOAT, BE MORE VIGILANT ABOUT GOING SLOW See NOT JUST CROCS on page 24
