TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) - Wildlife experts say an 11-foot American crocodile captured in Lake Tarpon was born near the Turkey Point nuclear plant in South Florida in 1999.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse says it set a record for the farthest distance ever documented for a crocodile to travel in Florida - going at least 350 miles.
The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/11IBaGK ) reports biologists mark story because biologists mark the newborn crocs around Turkey Point by clipping the armored tiles on their tails. This leaves a distinctive pattern to help identify them later.
The croc was captured in July after a resident spotted it. State officials brought the croc - now dubbed "the Lake Tarpon Crocodile" - to an area south of Homestead. It was released July 29.
