Osmoregulation in Crocodilians

Recent crocodilians live primarily in freshwater habitats. Howevertwo species (Crocodylus acutus and C. porosus) are estuarinespecialists; two others (C. niloticus and C. johnstoni) thatare primarily found in fresh water, have estuarine populations.Routes of uptake of water and sodium include drinking, feedingand associated incidental drinking, and integumental and buccaldiffusion. Routes of loss include faeces-cloacal fluid, lingualsalt glands, integumental and buccal diffusion, and respiratoryloss. The least understood route of salt and water exchangeis that of the oral and buccal epithelia, which are much morepermeable to water and sodium than the general integument. Thefreshwater alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) osmoregulatesin a manner typical for an amphibious reptile. Body sodium turnoveris low and the general integument is quite low in permeabilityto sodium. Water turnover is more rapid (in terms of molar exchange)but still relatively low for an aquatic reptile. Most waterexchange occurs across the integument and buccal epithelia.The presence of lingual salt glands in freshwater crocodiliansremains enigmatic, as does the failure of these exocrine glandsin estuarine species to respond to saline loading. Secretiondoes occur after injection of the parasympathetic stimulantmethacholine chloride. The "salt water crocodile" (C. porosus)possesses a suite of osmoregulatory adaptations similar to thosefound in other estuarine reptiles. Water and sodium balanceare maintained primarily by an extremely low general permeabilityto sodium, by economies in water loss, and by excretion of excesssodium by the lingual salt glands. Further work is needed toexamine newly hatched C. porosus, and the possibility of ontogeneticchange in lingual gland function in C. acutus. The importanceof incidental drinking of sea water during feeding (recentlydiscovered in turtles) needs to be evaluated in crocodilians.The use of osmoregulatory data in interpretation of the evolutionaryhistory of the genus Crocodylus needs to be viewed with caution.The hypothesis that all species of Crocodylus originated fromthe transoceanic migration of a saline-tolerant form may notbe the most parsimonious explanation.