Research Alert

Yes, Even Crocodiles Go Through Puberty

 

1. Little is known of its timing or process of puberty in crocodylians.
2. Researchers looked at snout-vent length, body condition index, and teeth of Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and found distinct differences between males and females, thus marking a sexual dimorphism that begins to present with the onset of puberty.
3. This bodily manifestation of puberty is a novel observation for crocodylians and lays a foundation for further study among species of how changing endocrine signaling within sexually maturing males may also influence a broader range of secondary sex characteristics.
WCS Media Contact:  Stephen Sautner, 7182203682, [email protected]

Study and Journal:  "Correlation between increased postpubertal phallic growth and the initiation of cranial sexual dimorphisms in male Morelet's crocodile"   from  Ecological and Integrative Physiology
WCS Co-Author(s):  Steven Platt , WCS Myanmar Program

Journal Link: Ecological and Integrative Physiology

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Ecological and Integrative Physiology