Crocodiles of the World hatches alligators!

Crocodiles of the World has hatched baby American alligators for the first time. The baby alligators are the first clutch from zoo favourite and star performer of the "Croc Man" television series - Daisy, and our huge recent new arrival - Albert. Discovered part way through a junior keeper for a day experience, the eggs started hatching on day 72 of incubation, at least 5 days earlier than expected. The babies are, in our opinion at least, stunningly beautiful; each one with a distinct, darker colouration not seen in other crocodilians. In fact they are quite different to other crocodile and caiman species we have hatched with far softer skin and noticeably shorter snouts.

The hatchlings were initially kept in a small holding enclosure before being checked for good health and moved to their new permanent hatchling enclosure. For the first few weeks they will be fed locusts and other small insects - a far cry from the large prey taken by their adult relatives.

This success also marks us out as the only UK zoo in history to have bred three species of crocodilian, another achievement of which we are very proud. It really is fantastic news for the zoo and enables us to show visitors the complete life cycle of three crocodilian groups; crocodiles, alligators and caimans. For young children particularly, observing and possibly even holding these amazing animals while learning about their differences and similarities is a fantastic introduction to the wonder of the natural world. Achieving success with our alligator breeding programme helps us educate and inspire people of all ages, interests and expertise. And besides being a scientific success story, there isn't much cuter than a baby alligator!