Crocodile Keeps An Eye On Divers In Tulum Mexico

Just a short drive from the main highway near Tulum, Mexico, is a beautiful fresh water cenote. Located minutes off of Federal Highway 307 in the Riviera Maya is where you will find the Cenote Manati, also known as Casa Cenote. The Cenote Manati gained this name since it was once the home to a large number of manatees. The large number of manatees managed to enter the cave where the cenote connects with the ocean and thus developed a new residence that was very protected for them. Within the cenote, the great number of mangrove trees and bushes roots over flow into the crystal clear waters and provide the towering trees and bushes the water they need to flourish.The Cenote is easily accessible for swimming and scuba diving and has a maximum depth of 6 meters or just under 20 feet. Its waters are transparent with a slight blue hue, giving snorkelers and divers excellent opportunity for photography and video. Within the area you can enjoy beautiful scenery, coral reefs as well as rock formations and cracks in the limestone where you can admire a variety of natural lighting effects beaming from above. Many varieties of both fresh water and saltwater fish that inhabit the cenote. Some small crabs also make this beautiful place their home. One of the main attractions for those that dare, is to see the resident Mexican crocodile in his natural environment. Crocodiles in other parts of the world, such as the salt water crocodiles of Australia have been known to be very aggressive. The Mexican crocodiles are much more docile and non aggressive towards us humans as you will see in the video. Known to have been living in this cenote for more than four years, he was first seen when approximately one foot in length. Now more than seven feet long he is growing at a nice rate. You may ask ”how do you know he is a he?”. The guide that Brent had during this visit explained that the crocodile had been witnessed doing a “shake” one year ago. Male crocodiles put on extraordinary courtship displays to attract females. They make low-frequency sound that no human can hear, and they do it in such a way that water droplets on their back start to bounce and reverberate. This action by the male will attract any female crocodiles in the area during the mating season. The crocodile is an amazingly beautiful creature. These Mexican or Morelet’s crocodile are chiefly found in freshwater environments, such as swamps, marshes, lakes and rivers in forested regions. It prefers isolated and secluded inland areas. Despite being chiefly a freshwater species that likes densely forested habitats with a lot of cover, Morelet’s crocodile do exist in brackish coastal waters and the grassy savannas of the Yucatan Peninsula as well.