NEW RECORDS OF HUMAN-CROCODILE INTERACTIONS IN MEXICO FROM 2018 THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF 2021

Abstract

The growing human population and its associated economic activities have increased human-wildlife interactions. Herein, we provide new records of human-crocodile (HC) interactions in Mexico from 2018 through the first half of 2021. Fifty-one cases were recorded in this study; 2018 had the highest number of cases (n = 19), and 2021 (the first half) had the lowest number of cases. The states of Tamaulipas and Quintana Roo on the Gulf of Mexico represented 40% of the cases, while Oaxaca and Nayarit on the Mexican Pacific coast represented 22% of the cases. Male victims (n = 32) were more commonly associated with human-crocodile interactions than females (n = 10). Forty-four cases were non-fatal and only seven were fatal. As far as we know, our records of HC interactions increase the number of conflicts in Mexico to 250 cases.