Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (doctoral)--James Cook University of North Queensland, 1997. / Bibliography: leaves 150-167.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliography.

El cocodrilo cubano, Crocodylus rhombifer, presenta la distribución geográfica más restringida dentro del Orden Crocodylia y la más amenazada del Nuevo Mundo. La Ciénaga de Zapata, en Cuba, constituye el último reducto natural del cocodrilo cubano, con un hábitat óptimo para esta especie. La existencia del cocodrilo cubano en la Ciénaga de Zapata se ha visto amenazada por la caza con fines comerciales para la obtención de pieles hasta 1959, y por la captura de animales vivos para la cría de en cautiverio hasta la década de los años '60 del siglo XX. La información sobre el número de animales silvestres y la distribución en actual en la Ciénaga del cocodrilo cubano es inexistente. El objetivo de este proyecto de tesis doctoral ha sido establecer el estado de conservación del cocodrilo cubano en la Ciénaga de Zapata, atendiendo a cuatro aspectos fundamentales de su biología: abundancia, distribución, reproducción e incidencia de hibridación con el cocodrilo americano, Crocodylus acutus, que convive simpátricamente en el área. La distribución geográfica del cocodrilo cubano se determinó mediante entrevista no formal a 61 personas mayores de 35 años, que estuvieron vinculados a la caza comercial de cocodrilos y a partir de la información obtenida se visitó alrededor del 90% del territorio indicado. Los resultados mostraron que la mayor proporción observada del cocodrilo cubano se encontró en la parte sur y central de la ciénaga occidental, en un rango de aproximadamente 776 km², compartiendo simpátricamente este hábitat con el cocodrilo americano y los cocodrilos denominados mixturados (posibles híbridos). Además, el macrohábitat del cocodrilo cubano resultó ser no solamente de agua dulce, sino que se encontró en una amplia variedad de hábitats asociados con la salinidad del agua. Los estudios para estimar el tamaño poblacional y la tendencia poblacional se realizaron en dos años diferentes 1993 y 1996. En 1993 se compararon las tres técnicas más comunes utilizadas en el conteo de cocodrilos en vida silvestre: conteo aéreo, conteo nocturno y el método de captura, marcaje y recaptura, seleccionándose este último método, como la técnica más adecuada en los estudios de los cocodrilos en esta zona. Se observaron 268 cocodrilos, el cocodrilo cubano estuvo representado en un 79.1%, un 17.9% por el cocodrilo americano y en un 3% de animales “Mixturados”. Se encontró una densidad de 19,8 (12,2–27,2) individuos por kilómetro cuadrado en 1993, y se estimó el tamaño poblacional de 5940 (3660 – 8160) en los 300km2 de área, con el 10% de la población (366 y 816 individuos) constituido por hembras adultas. En cuanto a la estructura de tallas encontradas para el cocodrilo cubano, la categoría considerada juvenil (60-149cm) fue la más representada con un 51%, seguida de la clase de subadultos (150-179cm), con un 35%; la clase considerada apta para la reproducción represento un 14%. La proporción de hembras en la muestra mayores de 60 cm fue de 0.76 (N= 179) y en la de adultos mayores o iguales que 180cm fue de 0.64 (N= 25), la que no difiere significativamente de lo esperado de igual cociente sexual (Prueba Chi-cuadrado χ2 = 2,46, g.l. 1, p < 0,05). En 1996, aplicando el mismo método se encontró que no había diferencia estadísticamente significativa en el tamaño de la población ni en la proporción sexual, manteniéndose estable el tamaño de la población. Mientras que en la estructura de talla se observó diferencia estadísticamente significativa (G= 20,56, p< 0,01), registrándose un desplazamiento de la categoría menores de 150 cm a las superiores. La temporada de nidificación del cocodrilo cubano se extendió desde el mes de abril hasta la segunda decena del mes de julio, coincidiendo con el periodo que termina la época seca y el comienzo e intensificación de la temporada lluviosa y las temperaturas comienzan a elevarse (temperatura promedio de 240C, oscilación de 17 – 320 C). Los estudios de morfometría indican que los caracteres morfológicos seleccionados, conjuntamente con los caracteres cualitativos distintivos de las entidades morfológicas que ocurren en la Ciénaga de Zapata pueden ser usados como indicadores de las más profundas diferencias entre las mismas y entre las clases de talla. El uso de técnicas multivariadas parece moderadamente útil en proporcionar información, para el reconocimiento del C. rhombifer y C. acutus como especies distintas y diferentes a los mixturados. Las principales diferencias morfológicas entre las entidades estudiadas se presentan en los caracteres asociados a la variación de la forma de la cabeza. La hembra del cocodrilo cubano en cautiverio, puede alcanzar su madurez sexual a una edad mínima de seis años de edad y con una talla mínima promedio de 190,75 ± 9,40, mientras que una porción de los machos pueden madurar a la misma edad de seis años y con una talla promedio de 197 ± 8.14 cm. La mayor actividad de ovoposición se observó en los meses de Mayo y Junio. Los nidos registrados presentaron un montículo de forma elíptica o casi circular, fabricados con el sustrato que disponían. Las dimensiones promedio del montículo fueron: diámetro mayor de 121 ± 20,1 cm. (rango = 95 – 300); diámetro menor de 120 ± 18,2 cm. (rango = 90 – 270) y una altura de 45,5 cm ± (rango= 40,2 – 120). La distancia del primer huevo en el nido al tope del mismo fue de 12,5 ±0,75 cm. La profundidad del nido registró la mayor variabilidad (27,3 %) y el diámetro menor estuvo más variable que el diámetro mayor. Se encontraron evidentes diferencias en los valores promedios de las variables reproductivas (dimensiones del huevo y de la nidada) y sus relaciones alométricas con las dimensiones de la hembra entre las hembras que se incorporan a la reproducción con una talla promedio menor de dos metros y las de múltiples puesta mayores de dos metros de promedio y de edad desconocida. Las hembras de múltiples puestas incrementan el tamaño y peso de la nidada, por lo que son más productivas. El tamaño de la hembra no exhibió ninguna correlación con los parámetros del montículo, ni tampoco con los de la cámara del nido (p>0,05). Se compararon los cambios alométricos en las dimensiones del huevo y las dimensiones de la nidada, para determinarlos cambios en el rendimiento reproductivo, en dos grupos de hembras: hembras de primera puesta y de múltiples puestas. Las hembras que han puesto en varias ocasiones y tienen mayores tallas y peso corporal ponen mayor cantidad de huevos, los cuales son más pesados, menos largos y más anchos, por lo que son más esféricos que los huevos de hembras de primera incorporación. Se encontraron 15 nidos silvestres que consistieron en montículos, construidos de turba aprisionada con raíces, hojarasca y ramas de diferentes tamaños de la vegetación que rodeaba al nido, lo que es obvio indicar que el material del nido depende del sitio. Existen diferencias significativas entre las dimensiones del montículo del nido y de su cámara, dimensiones del huevo y las dimensiones de la nidada entre hembras en vida libre y en cautiverio. Las pautas y comportamientos reproductivos descritos en este trabajo para C. rhombifer, en general mostró una serie de complejas posturas del cuerpo y de señales acústicas vocales y no vocales manifestándose principalmente en los machos, similares a los patrones ya descritos para otras especies del género. El comportamiento reproductivo del cocodrilo cubano en cautiverio mostró una serie de complejas posturas del cuerpo y de señales acústicas vocales y no vocales, manifestándose principalmente en los machos, muy semejantes a lo reportado para los cocodrilianos. El cocodrilo cubano está incluido en el Apéndice I de la Convención Internacional sobre Comercio de Especies Amenazadas de la Flora y Fauna Silvestre (CITES). Además dicha especie, de acuerdo a los nuevos criterios para listas de especies del Libro Rojo de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (SGS–UICN, 2008), se transfirió del estatus EN Peligro (EN) a EN Peligro Crítica (CR). Se concluye en este trabajo con las recomendaciones para actualizar el estado de conservación de la especie en la Ciénaga de Zapata y contribuir a crear un programa de conservación y manejo sostenible del cocodrilo cubano.

The Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus currently has an extensive range throughout the African continent and Madagascar, though fossil and subfossil remains show that its historic range was considerably larger and included parts of the Sahara Desert, Mediterranean coast, and Arabian Peninsula. Recent molecular studies have yielded genetically distinct populations of C. niloticus, leading to the possibility that C. niloticus is actually multiple cryptic species, while morphological variation remains unassessed. This study compares skulls of C. niloticus to other members of the genus Crocodylus in dorsal view using geometric morphometrics to evaluate intraspecific and interspecific variation. The morphometric analysis is coupled with a geographic analysis to determine if the species is morphologically variable by geographic region as well as a model-based cluster analysis to determine and morphological clusters irrespective of other factors. These analyses indicate that C. niloticus exhibits populational variation that exceeds almost every other species of Crocodylus, with differences between geographic regions statistically disctinct. These results support the presence of a cryptic species complex. Additionally, an osteological description of Crocodylus niloticus is provided.

Os crocodilianos, como são chamados vernacularmente os membros de Crocodylia, tem uma origem mesozoica, datando do Campaniando da América do Norte e Europa. No final deste período, ou no início do Paleoceno, um grupo de aligatoroídeos dispersou para a América do Sul, dando origem a um dos dois grupos principais de Alligatoridae, os Caimaninae. Este grupo é pobremente registrado no continente durante todo o Paleogeno, apesar de ser o único grupo de Crocodylia presente na região durante este período. O Mioceno é marcado pela maior diversidade de Caimaninae, considerando qualquer época ou lugar. Além disso, a diversidade miocênica é constituída também por crocodilídeos e gavialoídeos, até então não registrados para o continente sul-americano. Este cenário muda na passagem para o Plioceno, quando estes últimos desaparecem por completo na América do Sul, e os caimaníneos, apesar de continuarem existindo, não deixaram registro fóssil. Os crocodilídeos miocênicos foram extintos no continente, mas é nesta Época que o gênero Crocodylus sofreu dispersão transoceânica da África para as Américas. O Pleistoceno é marcado por um registro fóssil fragmentário, apesar de serem encontrados crocodilídeos em diversas localidades por toda a América do Sul. No Holoceno são encontradas evidências de interação entre Homo sapiens e crocodilianos, representadas em pinturas rupestres e restos zooarqueológicos. Apesar da grande quantidade de fósseis já coletados e estudados, o conhecimento sobre o registro fóssil de Crocodylia na América do Sul está muito aquém do desejado. A presente Tese é formada por 5 artigos sobre novos registros de crocodilianos fósseis sulamericano. O primeiro artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Crocodylus, o primeiro registro para a América do sul. O segundo artigo extende a diagnose de Caiman brevirostris através da análise de um novo espécime, e realiza uma análise cladística dos Jacarea. O terceiro artigo apresenta os primeiros registros de crocodilianos para o Pleistoceno da Venezuela, descrevendo também uma nova espécie de Caiman. O quarto artigo reporta uma nova espécie pliocênica de Crocodylus, a mais antiga para as Américas. Além disso, a espécie é táxon irmão das espécies recentes de crocodilos do Novo Mundo. O quinto e último artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Eocaiman, para ao Paleoceno da Bacia de Itaboraí. Através destes novos registros, esta Tese contribui para o conhecimento sobre os crocodilianos da América do Sul. / The crocodylians, as the members of the Crocodylia are vernacularly called, have an early origin, dating back to the Late Cretaceous. At the end of this period, or at the beginning of the Paleocene, a group of alligatoroids dispersed to South America, giving rise to one of the main groups within Alligatoridae, Caimaninae. This group is poorly recorded in this continent during the Paleogene, despite the fact that it was the only Crocodylia group in the region during this period. The Miocene is known for the greatest Caimaninae diversity, considering anytime or anywhere. Besides, the Miocene diversity is also formed by crocodylids and gavialoids, until then not recorded in South America. This scenario changed when passing to the Pliocene, when the crocodylids and gavialoids disappeared in South America, and the caimanines, although remained, they left no fossil record. The Miocene crocodylids were extinct in the continent, but was in that time when the genus Crocodylus dispersed from Africa to the Americas. The Pleistocene is known by a fragmentary fossil record, although being recorded a number of localities all over the South America. In the Holocene, interaction between Homo sapiens and crocodilians are found, represented by rock art and zooarcheological remains. In spite of the great number of collected and studied fossils, the knowledge on the Crocodylia Fossil Record is beneath expectations, but the perspectives for research are optimist. This thesis has 5 articles about new records of fossil crocodilians from South America. The first describes a new species of Crocodylus, the first for South America. The second extends the Caiman brevirostris diagnosis through a new specimen, and performs a cladistics analysis of the Jacarea. The third presents the first Pleistocene crocodilians from Venezuela, describing a new species of Caiman. The forth article reports a new Pliocene species of Crocodylus, the oldest record in the Americas. Also, this taxon is the sister group to the recent New World crocodiles. At last, the fifth article describes a new species of Eocaiman, from the Paleocene of Itaboraí basin. Through these new fossils, this Thesis contributes to the knowledge on the fossil crocodilians from South America.

The zoonotic potential of Trichinella zimbabwensis as supported by the clinical symptoms observed in experimentally infected, non-human primates (Mukaratirwa et al., 2001) necessitates research aimed at elucidating the distribution and epidemiology of this parasite. No controlled studies have been conducted to determine the predilection muscles of Trichinella zimbabwensis larvae in Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) or the influence of infection intensity on the distribution of the larvae in crocodiles. Neither has the influence of Trichinella zimbabwensis on biochemical parameters in crocodiles been assessed previously. To determine the distribution patterns of Trichinella zimbabwensis larvae and predilection muscles and to assess the influence on selected biochemical parameters, fifteen crocodiles were randomly divided into three cohorts of five animals each to represent high infection (642 larvae/kg of body weight), medium infection (414 larvae/kg of bodyweight) and low infection (134 larvae/kg of bodyweight) cohorts. In the high infection cohort, high percentages of larvae were observed in the tricep muscles (26%) and hind limb muscles (13%). In the medium infection cohort, high percentages of larvae were found in the tricep muscles (50%), sternomastoid (18%) and hind limb muscles (13%). For the low infection cohort, larvae were mainly found in the intercostal muscles (36%), longissimus complex (27%), forelimb muscles (20%), and hind limb muscles (10%). Predilection muscles in the high and medium infection cohorts were similar to those reported in naturally infected crocodiles despite changes in infection intensity. The high infection cohort had significantly higher numbers of larvae in the intercostal, longissimus complex, external tibial flexor, longissimus caudalis and caudal femoral muscles (P < 0.05) compared to the medium infection cohort. In comparison to the low infection cohort, the high infection cohort harboured significantly higher numbers of larvae in all muscles (P < 0.05) except for the tongue and pterygoid. The high infection cohort harboured significantly higher numbers of larvae (P < 0.05) in the sternomastoid, tricep, intercostal, longissimus complex, external tibial flexor, longissimus caudalis and caudal femoral muscles compared to naturally infected crocodiles. The importance of host characteristics in determining predilection and the importance of leg musculature as a predilection site for Trichinella spp. in sylvatic carnivores were both confirmed in this study. Deviations from normal parameters of blood glucose, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) compared to observations in uninfected reptiles were observed. Hypoglycaemia was not observed in the infected groups in this study. The humoral immune response to Trichinella zimbabwensis infection was evaluated in all three groups by way of indirect ELISA. Peak values of blood glucose, LDH and AST were observed on day 56, 49 and 42 p.i. in the high, medium and low infection cohorts respectively. CPK values peaked on day 35 p.i. in all three cohorts. Peak ALT values were reached on day 56 in the high infection cohort and on day 28 p.i. in both the medium and low infection cohorts. No correlations between the biochemical parameters and infection intensity were observed. Peak antibody titres were reached on day 49 p.i. in the medium infection cohort and on day 42 p.i. in both the high and low infection cohorts. Infection intensity could not be correlated with the magnitude of the humoral immune response or time to seroconversion. The effect of infection intensity on time to seroconversion, magnitude and persistence of the humoral immune response was assessed. No significant differences in the titre levels between the three groups were observed. Infection intensity could not be correlated with the magnitude of the humoral response or time to seroconversion. Results of this study were in agreement with results reported in mammals (wild boars and horses) infected with other Trichinella species and showed that antibody titres could not be detected indefinitely. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2013.

Crocodylus porosus is the most widely distributed crocodilian species and suffered widespread population decline during the 20th century, principally due to commercial hunting for their hides, but also from habitat destruction and persecution. An estimated 270,000 to 330,000 animals were killed in Australia before the species was protected in the early 1970s. Populations of C. porosus in Western Australia are poorly studied and the number of animals taken during the hunting era is unknown. However, by 1970, hunting was no longer considered to be commercially viable. Over the last two decades, adding commercial value to crocodiles through sustainable use has been an integral part of the management strategy throughout Australia. Despite this, demographic parameters remain unquantified for most life-history stages. This study attempts to provide quantified demographic information for some populations of C. porosus in Western Australia. Patterns of movement are a fundamental component to the dynamics of animal populations. VHF radio tags were attached to 16 estuarine crocodiles, which were tracked between October 2001 and May 2003. Male (n = 12) and female (n = 4) crocodiles exhibited distinctly different patterns of movement. Females occupied a small core linear range (1.3 &plusmn; 0.9 km) on the main river channel during the dry season and moved distances of up to 62 km to nesting habitat during the wet season, returning to the same core area the following dry season. Males moved considerable distances along the Ord River throughout the year. The largest range recorded was 87 km for a 2.5 m juvenile male, which had not stabilized. However, male ranges did not appear to be related to body size, with the largest two ranges recorded for the smallest (2.5 m) and largest (4.3 m) males tagged. Rates of male movement did not differ significantly between three size classes of males but there were significant seasonal differences, with the highest mean rates of movement occurring during the summer wet season (4.0 &plusmn; 5.4 km/d). The highest rate of sustained movement was 9.8 km/d for a translocated 2.6 m juvenile male, which travelled 118 km in 12 days to return to the area of its capture. Neither males nor females showed exclusive habitat preferences for any of four broad riverine habitats identified on the Ord River. Males had substantial range overlaps with no obvious spatial partitioning, suggesting territoriality is not an important behavioural characteristic of free-ranging male crocodiles along the Ord River. Rates of migration were also examined indirectly using genetic data, which integrates patterns of movement at the population level over many generations. One hundred and twenty three tissue samples were collected from three river systems between April 2001 and September 2002. Levels of genetic diversity and structure were quantified at nine microsatellite loci. Genetic data indicated that C. porosus shows strong site fidelity. However, indirect estimates of migration from fixation indices suggest gene flow is sufficient to maintain genetic diversity and population substructure but not so low as to cause inbreeding. Genetic diversity was similar in all three populations examined with allelic richness ranging from 4.6 to 5.0 alleles per locus and mean observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.63 to 0.74. Inbreeding coefficients indicated there was only moderate differentiation among the populations (FST = 0.08, RST = 0.06) but differences in allele frequencies were highly significant. Assignment tests designated 80% of individuals to their population of origin and identified only five individuals (4%) as first generation migrants. Populations that experience a severe and rapid reduction in size, such as occurred with C. porosus following the Second World War, are susceptible to losing a significant component of their genetic variation. There was compelling evidence for a recent genetic bottleneck in the three populations sampled. Survivorship in C. porosus in unknown for most life-history stages so a mark-recapture study was implemented to investigate the dynamics of the C. porosus population in the King River. A total of 162 animals were marked between June 2001 and July 2002 of which 75 marked animals were recaptured on 123 occasions. The size of the hatchling population (age < 1 year old) was estimated to be 91 &plusmn; 2 (SE) in 2001, which was effectively an estimate of successful recruitment for the King River during that year. The size of the non-hatchling population (age >1 year old) was estimated to be 69 &plusmn; 13 but the precision of the estimate was low and should be treated cautiously. Survival of the 2001 cohort of hatchlings was high (> 95%) between June and December and did not vary between the sexes. Hatchlings grew rapidly from June 2001 to July 2002, doubling in length and showing a ten-fold increase in body mass. There were no significant differences in growth rates between females and males during the first 18 months of life. Crocodiles showed a significant behavioural response to capture, with capture probabilities decreasing over time for two groups classified by age. Furthermore, differences in capture probabilities between age groups were significant on all occasions. This has important implications for monitoring crocodile populations, particularly if sightability is influenced by human disturbance. This study has provided some insights into important ecological processes operating within Western Australian populations of C. porosus, but the number of populations examined and period of study were small for such a long-lived animal. More work is needed to determine whether the patterns that have emerged are typical throughout the species' range and longer term studies will be required to quantify vital statistics for most life stages.

Os crocodilianos, como são chamados vernacularmente os membros de Crocodylia, tem uma origem mesozoica, datando do Campaniando da América do Norte e Europa. No final deste período, ou no início do Paleoceno, um grupo de aligatoroídeos dispersou para a América do Sul, dando origem a um dos dois grupos principais de Alligatoridae, os Caimaninae. Este grupo é pobremente registrado no continente durante todo o Paleogeno, apesar de ser o único grupo de Crocodylia presente na região durante este período. O Mioceno é marcado pela maior diversidade de Caimaninae, considerando qualquer época ou lugar. Além disso, a diversidade miocênica é constituída também por crocodilídeos e gavialoídeos, até então não registrados para o continente sul-americano. Este cenário muda na passagem para o Plioceno, quando estes últimos desaparecem por completo na América do Sul, e os caimaníneos, apesar de continuarem existindo, não deixaram registro fóssil. Os crocodilídeos miocênicos foram extintos no continente, mas é nesta Época que o gênero Crocodylus sofreu dispersão transoceânica da África para as Américas. O Pleistoceno é marcado por um registro fóssil fragmentário, apesar de serem encontrados crocodilídeos em diversas localidades por toda a América do Sul. No Holoceno são encontradas evidências de interação entre Homo sapiens e crocodilianos, representadas em pinturas rupestres e restos zooarqueológicos. Apesar da grande quantidade de fósseis já coletados e estudados, o conhecimento sobre o registro fóssil de Crocodylia na América do Sul está muito aquém do desejado. A presente Tese é formada por 5 artigos sobre novos registros de crocodilianos fósseis sulamericano. O primeiro artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Crocodylus, o primeiro registro para a América do sul. O segundo artigo extende a diagnose de Caiman brevirostris através da análise de um novo espécime, e realiza uma análise cladística dos Jacarea. O terceiro artigo apresenta os primeiros registros de crocodilianos para o Pleistoceno da Venezuela, descrevendo também uma nova espécie de Caiman. O quarto artigo reporta uma nova espécie pliocênica de Crocodylus, a mais antiga para as Américas. Além disso, a espécie é táxon irmão das espécies recentes de crocodilos do Novo Mundo. O quinto e último artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Eocaiman, para ao Paleoceno da Bacia de Itaboraí. Através destes novos registros, esta Tese contribui para o conhecimento sobre os crocodilianos da América do Sul. / The crocodylians, as the members of the Crocodylia are vernacularly called, have an early origin, dating back to the Late Cretaceous. At the end of this period, or at the beginning of the Paleocene, a group of alligatoroids dispersed to South America, giving rise to one of the main groups within Alligatoridae, Caimaninae. This group is poorly recorded in this continent during the Paleogene, despite the fact that it was the only Crocodylia group in the region during this period. The Miocene is known for the greatest Caimaninae diversity, considering anytime or anywhere. Besides, the Miocene diversity is also formed by crocodylids and gavialoids, until then not recorded in South America. This scenario changed when passing to the Pliocene, when the crocodylids and gavialoids disappeared in South America, and the caimanines, although remained, they left no fossil record. The Miocene crocodylids were extinct in the continent, but was in that time when the genus Crocodylus dispersed from Africa to the Americas. The Pleistocene is known by a fragmentary fossil record, although being recorded a number of localities all over the South America. In the Holocene, interaction between Homo sapiens and crocodilians are found, represented by rock art and zooarcheological remains. In spite of the great number of collected and studied fossils, the knowledge on the Crocodylia Fossil Record is beneath expectations, but the perspectives for research are optimist. This thesis has 5 articles about new records of fossil crocodilians from South America. The first describes a new species of Crocodylus, the first for South America. The second extends the Caiman brevirostris diagnosis through a new specimen, and performs a cladistics analysis of the Jacarea. The third presents the first Pleistocene crocodilians from Venezuela, describing a new species of Caiman. The forth article reports a new Pliocene species of Crocodylus, the oldest record in the Americas. Also, this taxon is the sister group to the recent New World crocodiles. At last, the fifth article describes a new species of Eocaiman, from the Paleocene of Itaboraí basin. Through these new fossils, this Thesis contributes to the knowledge on the fossil crocodilians from South America.

Os crocodilianos, como são chamados vernacularmente os membros de Crocodylia, tem uma origem mesozoica, datando do Campaniando da América do Norte e Europa. No final deste período, ou no início do Paleoceno, um grupo de aligatoroídeos dispersou para a América do Sul, dando origem a um dos dois grupos principais de Alligatoridae, os Caimaninae. Este grupo é pobremente registrado no continente durante todo o Paleogeno, apesar de ser o único grupo de Crocodylia presente na região durante este período. O Mioceno é marcado pela maior diversidade de Caimaninae, considerando qualquer época ou lugar. Além disso, a diversidade miocênica é constituída também por crocodilídeos e gavialoídeos, até então não registrados para o continente sul-americano. Este cenário muda na passagem para o Plioceno, quando estes últimos desaparecem por completo na América do Sul, e os caimaníneos, apesar de continuarem existindo, não deixaram registro fóssil. Os crocodilídeos miocênicos foram extintos no continente, mas é nesta Época que o gênero Crocodylus sofreu dispersão transoceânica da África para as Américas. O Pleistoceno é marcado por um registro fóssil fragmentário, apesar de serem encontrados crocodilídeos em diversas localidades por toda a América do Sul. No Holoceno são encontradas evidências de interação entre Homo sapiens e crocodilianos, representadas em pinturas rupestres e restos zooarqueológicos. Apesar da grande quantidade de fósseis já coletados e estudados, o conhecimento sobre o registro fóssil de Crocodylia na América do Sul está muito aquém do desejado. A presente Tese é formada por 5 artigos sobre novos registros de crocodilianos fósseis sulamericano. O primeiro artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Crocodylus, o primeiro registro para a América do sul. O segundo artigo extende a diagnose de Caiman brevirostris através da análise de um novo espécime, e realiza uma análise cladística dos Jacarea. O terceiro artigo apresenta os primeiros registros de crocodilianos para o Pleistoceno da Venezuela, descrevendo também uma nova espécie de Caiman. O quarto artigo reporta uma nova espécie pliocênica de Crocodylus, a mais antiga para as Américas. Além disso, a espécie é táxon irmão das espécies recentes de crocodilos do Novo Mundo. O quinto e último artigo descreve uma nova espécie de Eocaiman, para ao Paleoceno da Bacia de Itaboraí. Através destes novos registros, esta Tese contribui para o conhecimento sobre os crocodilianos da América do Sul. / The crocodylians, as the members of the Crocodylia are vernacularly called, have an early origin, dating back to the Late Cretaceous. At the end of this period, or at the beginning of the Paleocene, a group of alligatoroids dispersed to South America, giving rise to one of the main groups within Alligatoridae, Caimaninae. This group is poorly recorded in this continent during the Paleogene, despite the fact that it was the only Crocodylia group in the region during this period. The Miocene is known for the greatest Caimaninae diversity, considering anytime or anywhere. Besides, the Miocene diversity is also formed by crocodylids and gavialoids, until then not recorded in South America. This scenario changed when passing to the Pliocene, when the crocodylids and gavialoids disappeared in South America, and the caimanines, although remained, they left no fossil record. The Miocene crocodylids were extinct in the continent, but was in that time when the genus Crocodylus dispersed from Africa to the Americas. The Pleistocene is known by a fragmentary fossil record, although being recorded a number of localities all over the South America. In the Holocene, interaction between Homo sapiens and crocodilians are found, represented by rock art and zooarcheological remains. In spite of the great number of collected and studied fossils, the knowledge on the Crocodylia Fossil Record is beneath expectations, but the perspectives for research are optimist. This thesis has 5 articles about new records of fossil crocodilians from South America. The first describes a new species of Crocodylus, the first for South America. The second extends the Caiman brevirostris diagnosis through a new specimen, and performs a cladistics analysis of the Jacarea. The third presents the first Pleistocene crocodilians from Venezuela, describing a new species of Caiman. The forth article reports a new Pliocene species of Crocodylus, the oldest record in the Americas. Also, this taxon is the sister group to the recent New World crocodiles. At last, the fifth article describes a new species of Eocaiman, from the Paleocene of Itaboraí basin. Through these new fossils, this Thesis contributes to the knowledge on the fossil crocodilians from South America.