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Article: CROCODILES SLITHERING FROM EXTINCTION IN FLORIDA.(LIFE & LEISURE)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- August 22, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: ROBERT MCCLURE Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Biologist Frank Mazzotti sits with a two-ounce crocodile in one hand, a small pair of scissors in the other.
Mazzotti is snipping off three scutes, tiny plates of bony armor on the newborn reptile's tail. It's a variation on the cowboy branding technique that will allow the crocodile to be identified by future researchers. The six-inch-long baby tries to nip back at Mazzotti.
``I'm making a note that the Cocoa Point hatchlings are biters,'' Mazzotti says, scribbling in his notebook. ``And they're particularly vocal.''
The American crocodile almost disappeared from its only U.S. ...