If You Give A Crocodile A Kawasaki Ultra 310LX

In 1975, just three years after the release of the Kawasaki Jet Ski, the American crocodile was nearing extinction in the U.S. The nation's crocodile population, only found in South Florida, had dwindled to just 200 individuals, with 10 to 20 breeding females. The crocodiles' population had plummeted due to habitat development and hunting, for sport or hides. In 1975, the American crocodile was listed on the federal endangered species list, where it stayed for nearly three decades until it was downgraded to threatened status in 2007.

The population has since rebounded to approximately 2,000 individuals, most of whom dwell in protected areas like the Everglades. But the reptiles' historic South Florida homeland has been transformed from swampy creeks to a heavily developed landscape. The shores where crocodiles once hauled out to bask have been barricaded with sea walls intended to limit erosion. But some heavily developed areas have unintentionally offered the reptiles a very modern refuge for basking: jet skis, paddleboards, and kayaks, according to a paper recently published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. These vessels don't just offer crocs a spot to nap, but a lifeline to meet their basic physiological needs in a heavily altered environment, as well as a way of looking super chill and cool.