Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We are currently investigating pathologies in the scutes of ankylosaurian dinosaurs. As part of our background research, we are looking at pathologies in modern reptiles. We are hoping that a crocodile/alligator farm might have had a crocodile or alligator with a pitting condition on the scutes similar to what the ankylosaurian dinosaurs had 112 million years ago.

The only other reptiles with a similar condition are turtles.

Recently we have heard of an alligator that was infected with Oestridae flies that eventually ate through to the vertebra. It was presumed that the alligator ate contaminated meat. Unfortunately the alligator died, was frozen and then given up to a taxidermist so we never saw the infection.

We are presuming that the keratin on the scutes is similar to that of ankylosaurs.

Have any of your crocodiles/alligators been infected by a biting insect?

There was a case about a year ago in florida at some gator farms of west nile virus. They believe it may have been transferred from the skeeto to the gator via bites on the eyelids and the mouth. They are now doing test on wild gators statewide in Florida to see if anymore cases come up.
-----
Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm

If anybody else knows about the West Nile virus occurances in alligators please post.

here are a couple articles on it:

http://lists.gatorhole.com/pipermail/croclist/2002-November/000091.html

and

http://forum.kingsnake.com/gator/messages/16642.html
-----
Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm