Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists believe the technique will disrupt the reptiles’ “homing” ability after they have been relocated to habitats away from the human population.

FWC researchers say their studies have documented that “translocated” crocodiles travel an average of 10 miles per week back to their capture site through a poorly understood navigational ability. It's believed that the fiercely territorial animals rely to some degree on Earth’s magnetic field to navigate.

The new FWC experiment is designed to disrupt this ability through the use of magnets taped to each side of a captured crocodile’s heads as it is being transported to its new home.

It is hoped that once the magnets are removed just prior to release, the reptile will be so disorientated that it will be unable to find its way back.

“Scientists in Mexico have reported success in using magnets to break the homing cycle,” said FWC crocodile response coordinator Lindsey Hord.  “The results of the study are promising.  If it proves successful here, we could gain an effective technique to resolve crocodile-human conflicts.” 

Crocodiles are still classified as a threatened species, so each one is considered important to preserving the species, according to the FWC. Their habitat in Florida is primarily confined to the coast in far southern parts of the state, including the Florida Keys.

Photo: Florida FWC