One of the 6 crocodilians on WAnimals
Reptiles · Crocodilia · Crocodylidae
Orinoco Crocodile
Crocodylus intermedius
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
The Orinoco crocodile, caimán del Orinoco or caimán llanero, is a species of crocodile of the family Crocodylidae, endemic to the Orinoco basin, it is considered the largest predator in Latin America and one of the largest crocodile species, reaching according to historical records lengths of up to seven metres, but modern scientific measurements suggest a real maximum of about five and a half metres, the most important populations are found on the Cojedes and Capanaparo rivers, it is characterised by having a slimmer snout than other crocodile species, apart from the gharial, its robust, flattened trunk is wider in the middle than at the ends, its dorsal surface is covered with bony plates while the sides and belly have no osteoderms.
Weight
180 kg – 400 kg
Size
4 m – 6 m
Lifespan
60 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Estimated population
Fewer than 1,500 mature individuals
Fun facts
- It is the largest predator in South America: the males exceed five metres and weigh more than three hundred kilos, beyond any jaguar or anaconda.
- Commercial hunting for its skin between the 1930s and the 1960s wiped out more than ninety per cent of the population in barely three decades: hundreds of thousands of skins were exported from the Orinoco.
- The female guards the nest and carries the hatchlings to the water in her mouth, and groups of young stay with her for months, answering her calls.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Rivers, lagoons and floodplains of the Orinoco basin, in Venezuela and Colombia
- Sexual maturity
- 7 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 90 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 40 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodylus_intermedius
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Orinoco Crocodile — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
VulnerableAmerican Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
Water Opossum
Chironectes minimus
Least ConcernSpectacled Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
Dwarf Caiman
Paleosuchus palpebrosus
Least ConcernGreen Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
How to help
The orinoco crocodile is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 2 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about orinoco crocodile.
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