Dwarf Crocodile Dwarf Crocodile Classification and Evolution. In: Crocodiles.
It mainly feeds on fish, but its diet also includes birds, mammals, turtles and snakes. When it rains, the reptiles gather at gueltas. The young are much lighter and varied in colour. Their Ecology, Management and Conservation. O. t. tetraspis - West African Dwarf Crocodile O. t. osborni - Congo (or Osborn's) Dwarf Crocodile, formerly Osteoblepharon osborni The taxonomic status of this species is still in doubt, with recent evidence suggesting that the above subspecies may be separate species, or a complex of several species. DISTRIBUTION: [CLICK ON MAP FOR DETAILED RANGE] Much overlap with Crocodylus … The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries.Due to its widespread occurrence and stable population trend, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1996. As its name suggests, it can be distinguished from most other species by its thin mouth parts. The Westafrican crocodile (Crocodylus suchus) is one of four species of crocodile found on the African continent.
They begin to turn black when they become juveniles. It is uniformly black or grayish-black, except the belly and under-tail which are yellowish with irregular, dark splotches. Dwarf crocodiles are found throughout West and Central Africa, from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Relationship with humans.
West-African Crocodile. Present knowledge on the west African slender-snouted crocodile, Crocodylus cataphractus Cuvier 1824, and the west African dwarf crocodile, Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope 1861. The West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) is a critically endangered species of African crocodile.
Apart from the Nile crocodile, its closest relative, it is the only species that inhabits semi-arid and arid zones of the Sahel and the Sahara. West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa.The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, as well as the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
West African crocodiles in Mauritania have adapted to their arid environment by staying in caves or burrows in a state of æstivation during the driest periods. Their eyes, ears and nostrils are located on the top of its head which as an apex predator (at the top of the food chain), help it greatly in the hunt. The West African dwarf crocodile, one of the most diminutive of the Crocodilians, reaches approximately two metres in length.
The West African slender-snouted crocodile is a medium-sized crocodile found in rivers and lakes in West African forests.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Waitkuwait, WE (1989).
A Special Publication of the IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. West African crocodile.