Growth pattern of farmed Morelet's crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii) from hatchlings to juveniles

The objective of this study was to determine the growth pattern of farmed Crocodylus moreletii individuals from hatchling to juvenile. A total of 3,743 crocodiles (3,098 males and 645 females) were included. Crocodiles hatched from artificially incubated eggs. Individuals were classified into three age categories: (1) neonate (0-4 months), (2) developing (4-12 months), and (3) juvenile (12-27 months). Seven biometric evaluations were conducted. The first one was at 4 d after hatching, and the following evaluations were at 4, 8, 12, 17, 22, and 27 months of age. In each evaluation, the total length, weight, and sex of each individual were registered. Crocodiles were subsequently classified into three growth groups: (1) fast: length and weight greater than 1 SD from the mean, (2) average: length and weight within 1 SD from the mean, and (3) slow: length and weight lower than 1 SD from the mean. Linear polynomial (LPN), quadratic polynomial (QPN), and three-parameter sigmoidal (SIG3) models were used to evaluate length and weight as a function of age to describe growth. For length and weight, SIG3 and QPN, respectively, produced the highest R-2 in all growth groups and the general population. LPN did not fit the weight data. The models that best fitted length and weight in relation to age were SIG3 and QPN, so both could be used to evaluate the growth pattern in other populations of farmed young Crocodylus moreletii.