Cuadernos de Investigación UNED
versión impresa ISSN 1659-4266
Resumen
VELASCO BARBIERI, Alvaro. Individual identification ofCrocodylus intermedius (Orinoco crocodile) using tail spot patterns. Cuadernos de Investigación UNED [online]. 2020, vol.12, n.2, pp.507-514. ISSN 1659-4266. http://dx.doi.org/10.22458/urj.v12i2.3140.
Introduction: The Conservation Action Plan of the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) includes the release of captive-bred specimens back into the wild. By monitoring these specimens in their natural habitat their adaptability is examined. However, an accurate identification system is necessary to recognize the individuals when they are recaptured. Objective: Determine if Swanepoel or Boucher, Tellez and Anderson crocodile identification methods are useful for the Orinoco crocodile. Methods: A total of 543 Orinoco crocodiles were photographed and each photo was vectorized by drawing dark spots greater than 25% for each scute, in the first 10 lines of double caudal scales of the tail on the right side. Two system codes were evaluated, one is a numeric code described by Swanepoel and the other is an additive code described by Boucher, Tellez and Anderson. Results: A total of 464 Swanepoel codes and 537 Boucher, Tellez and Anderson codes based on the dark spot pattern of the scales on the right side of the tails were generated for the 543 specimens. Both methods yielded high code values, however, the one developed by Boucher, Tellez and Anderson, with a 98.90% differentiation of the analyzed specimens, worked better. Conclusion: The study confirms that using the method of spots in the tail of crocodiles is an effective tool for identifying individual crocodiles.
Palabras clave : Conservation; management; individual identification; Crocodylus intermedius; mark-recapture.