African Slender-snouted Crocodile

Scientific name: Mecistops cataphractus

diet: Carnivore

range:Western Africa [VIEW MAP]

habitat:Wetlands

Viewing Hints:

These animals are visible in the domed portion of Scaly Slimy Spectacular, immediately on the right as you enter the front doors of the main portion of the complex. They may be seen basking on one of their beaches or floating in their pool.

Photos and Videos

General Information:

This is a strictly freshwater crocodile and is known to be relatively shy in the wild.

Physical Features and Characteristics:

These crocodiles are relatively slender compared with some other species, and their most notable feature is their very slender snout. They are a medium-sized crocodilian reaching maximum lengths around 4 meters and averaging around 3 meters. They are often a very attractive species, with various shades of olive overlaid with large, dark brown blotches.

Lifestyle and Reproduction:

Slender-snouted crocodiles are generally shy and reclusive. They prefer to live in heavily forested rivers and wetlands. They are considered one of the most vocal of all the crocodilians. Females nest at the beginning of the wet season and may lay over 15 eggs in mound nests constructed of leaf litter and other debris. Hatchlings and eggs tend to be proportionately large when compared with the eggs of other species of crocodilians.

Range:

This species is distributed throughout western tropical Africa, from Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru in the east/southeast to the Gambia River in the west.

Habitat:

These crocodiles prefer bodies of water with dense vegetation surrounded by forest.

Diet:

The wild diet consists mainly of fish, although this species has been observed to eat small mammals, birds and turtles. Young animals primarily eat invertebrates and fish. In zoological settings, they are fed fish, small rodents and prepared crocodilian diets.

Conservation:

This species has suffered heavy population declines, especially the western clade. Threats to the species include the skin and bushmeat trades, conflict with humans over fishing areas and large-scale habitat alteration for agriculture.

There are projects ongoing in Western Africa to assess the situation for the slender-snouted crocodile.