13-foot crocodile pops out dozens of eggs with shocked onlookers feet away in Florida

Mark Price
Mon, April 15, 2024 
A mama crocodile did something extraordinary when she stopped 10 feet from a group of people at a Florida attraction and started dropping dozens of eggs in the grass, officials say.

It’s rare to see an American crocodile lay eggs, but this was even more unusual because of the lack of a nest, Gatorama staff told McClatchy News.

The 13-foot crocodile scattered her eggs as if it were an Easter Egg hunt, park co-owner Patty Register said.

It’s rare enough for anyone to see a crocodile laying her eggs, but this was even more unusual due to the lack of a nest, according to staff at the Gatorama reptile farm.

It happened around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, at the 15-acre park in Palmdale, about a 130-mile drive northwest from Miami.

“Some guests came to the staff and said: ‘We think this (crocodile) is laying eggs.’ Sure enough, she was still doing it when staff got there,” Register said in a phone interview.

“I’m guessing 20 to 30 people were watching something that is extremely rare. We counted 41 eggs, but three were crushed. Thirty-eight were beautiful, and we have them in incubation.”

It remains a mystery why the crocodile, named Ulele, chose not to dig an earthen nest, which is the norm. She has been at Gatorama since 1968, and has produced multiple broods in that time, Register said.

Gatorama staff collected 38 viable eggs, which are now in an incubator. They may hatch in 90 days, officials said.

“So we know it was not due to her being inexperienced,” she said. “This is something that happens occasionally. ... Sometimes a crocodile will abort their eggs and shed them, perhaps because they believe something is wrong with the eggs.”

Park staff beg to differ, however, and believe the 38 surviving eggs are viable and could hatch in 90 days, she said.

The eggs were found on the bank of a 4-acre breeding pond that is home to 16 to 20 crocodiles. Park guests can view the spot from the safety of a bridge, Register said.

American crocodiles were once on the verge of extinction, due mostly to habitat loss, but conservation efforts in Florida helped the population grow from a few hundred to about 2,000 adults, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. Most are found at the southern tip of Florida.

Gatorama “is home to the largest breeding colony of Acutus (American) crocodiles in the country,” the park says. There are about 200 American crocodiles at the site, some more than 16 feet long.

The farm is also a destination for “nuisance” crocodiles that had to be removed due to living too close to humans, Register said.