Florida Bites: Giant 'Man-Eating' Crocodiles On Loose From Africa

• Image: Nile Crocodile in Ethiopia, via Tim Muttoo, Flickr, used under Creative Commons

Three African crocodiles, of a species known to eat zebras, hippos and even humans have been hanging out in the Everglades, a sign that the crocs may have taken up permanent residence in South Florida, researchers said.

Scientists from the University of Florida confirmed through DNA testing that the crocodiles, captured between 2000 and 2014, were linked to an African species that live in the sub-Saharan part of the continent, south of the Sahara desert.

In Africa, the so-called "Nile crocodiles" species has been responsible for at least 480 attacks on people and 123 fatalities between 2010 and 2014, the researchers said, adding that the crocs can grow up to 18 feet and weigh as much as a small car.

The three found in Florida were "swimming in the Everglades and relaxing on a house porch in Miami," a UF release said.

It's unclear exactly how many of them now call Florida home, but the scientists don't think it was just coincidence that three of them were found.

“The odds that the few of us who study Florida reptiles have found all of the Nile crocs out there is probably unlikely,” Kenneth Krysko, a co-author of the study, said in the release.

“We know that they can survive in the Florida wilderness for numerous years, we know that they grow quickly here and we know their behavior in their native range, and there is no reason to suggest that would change here in Florida.”

While there aren't any zebras or hippos to snack on in Florida, the Nile crocodiles could eat the state's birds, fish and other mammals. They could also even eat other crocodiles or alligators in the state, the researchers said.

Something else they aren't sure about: how they got here.

Researchers think that they were brought in to show off at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom or as part of the state's pet trade.

"They didn't swim from Africa," Krysko told the Associated Press. "But we really don't know how they got into the wild."

The scientists have recommended a further study showing just how far and wide the crocodiles could spread. They said the crocs could presumably survive all across the Florida coast and along the Gulf of Mexico.

Patch has reached out to the scientists for more information, and we'll let you know if we hear back.

• Read more about the crocodiles, from the University of Florida, here.