Too Hot to Incubate: Nile Crocodiles Hatch on Their Own in French Reserve
The reserve said prolonged heat created natural incubation conditions, and the 10 hatchlings will stay under close observation before going on display.
- On Wednesday, 10 Nile crocodiles hatched naturally at La Ferme aux Crocodiles in Pierrelatte, France, marking the first time the species reproduced without human intervention at the facility.
- France has endured 52 days of extreme heat this summer, providing the necessary 30C-32C sand temperatures required for about three months of natural crocodile egg incubation.
- Visitors spotted the hatchlings on Saturday, alerting staff to the discovery; Samuel Martin, director of the reserve, stated, "We had an incubation that took place entirely under natural conditions."
- Martin described the birth as an "unprecedented natural process" and "a marker of climate change," while noting that subtropical species are "feeling comfortable" even as others may suffer.
- All 10 hatchlings are doing well but will remain under close nursery observation before being presented to the public at La Ferme.
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14 Articles
Visitors to Pierrelatte's Crocodiles Farm had the wonderful surprise of attending the birth of ten crocodiles from the Nile on Saturday, August 22.
In order for a Nile crocodile to develop and be born, its egg must be kept constantly at a temperature between 30 and 32 °C for three months. The young were born last Saturday.
Visitors from a tropical reserve in Drôme attended, unbelievingly, the birth of ten Nile crocodiles without any human assistance.
Radio France Internationale
The Local - FrToo hot to incubate: Nile crocodiles hatch on their own in French reserve
While Nile crocodile eggs naturally incubate in underground nests in the wild, zoos typically hatch them in carefully controlled incubators, closely monitoring the temperature and humidity. "For the first time, we had an incubation that took place entirely under natural conditions," Samuel Martin, director of the reserve in the southeastern town of Pierrelatte, told AFP. La Ferme aux Crocodiles bills itself as Europe's largest wildlife park with…
On Saturday, visitors to the Drôme tropical reserve alerted the veterinary staff, incredulous: before their very eyes, ten Nile crocodiles were hatching, without any human intervention. "For the first time, we had an incubation that took place entirely under natural conditions," recounts Samuel Martin, the farm's manager and veterinarian. But the "wonderful emotion" shared by the public and the veterinary team was quickly overshadowed by conce…
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