MIAMI – Officials at Zoo Miami have been welcoming critically endangered baby Orinoco crocodiles over the past week.
The mother laid 45 eggs on Feb. 5 at the South Florida park, and they began hatching last week, the zoo announced on Facebook. [TRENDING: Boy charged with murder appears in court | Video: Man throws baby swans into cooler at Orlando park | Tiger spotted on front lawn still missing] To prevent any loss due to predation or extreme weather, zoo staff collected the eggs several days after they were laid and placed them into incubators.
The hatching period is spread out over nearly two weeks because the eggs have been incubated at different temperatures, officials said.