One of the 10 crocodiles on WAnimals
Reptiles · Crocodilia · Crocodylidae
Slender-snouted Crocodile
Mecistops cataphractus
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
The African slender-snouted crocodile is a slim crocodile specialised in fish, with an extremely narrow snout. It is one of the most threatened crocodilians in the world: fewer than five hundred adults remain, and in 2018 the species was split in two, separating the West African populations from those of the Congo basin.
Weight
80 kg – 150 kg
Size
2.5 m – 4 m
Lifespan
50 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 500 mature individuals
Fun facts
- It is one of the most threatened crocodilians on the planet, with fewer than five hundred adults in the wild, far below much better-known species such as the gharial or the Orinoco crocodile.
- In 2018 it was split into two separate species: the West African populations and those of the Congo basin had been apart for millions of years, which made the position of each one taken alone even more precarious.
- Its extremely narrow snout is specialised in catching fish with a sideways sweep of the head, a design that has appeared independently in crocodilians on three continents.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Forest rivers, lagoons and flooded forest of West and Central Africa
- Sexual maturity
- 12.5 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 2.5 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 15 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecistops_cataphractus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 32 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Slender-snouted Crocodile — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
African Dwarf Crocodile
Osteolaemus tetraspis
Least ConcernNile Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
VulnerableLeopard
Panthera pardus
EndangeredPygmy Hippopotamus
Choeropsis liberiensis
Helmeted Turtle
Pelomedusa subrufa
Gaboon Viper
Bitis gabonica
How to help
The slender-snouted 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 7 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about slender-snouted crocodile.
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