African slender-snouted crocodile

Physical features

• This species is considered a medium-sized crocodile. They reach a maximum length of about 13 feet, but the average size is closer to 10 feet. They can weigh up to 500 pounds. Like other crocodiles, they are sexually dimorphic in that males are typically larger than females of the same age.

• Adults are a brownish-yellow color, with darker brown markings along the body and a creamy yellow underside. Younger individuals are a lighter, greenish-gray color with black markings.

• Like other crocodiles, their noses, eyes and ears are on the top side of their heads, allowing them to easily breathe, see, hear and smell their surrounding environment while keeping their bodies mostly submerged in water.

• This species has a long, slender snout, effective for reaching prey that may be in holes or small crevices like in burrows or hiding in tree roots. They have 64-70 teeth that are continually being replaced.

• While most crocodile species have two rows of protective scales that run along their backs, this species has three or four rows of these scales. This unique characteristic contributes to their species name (cataphractus) which means “clad in armor” in Greek.

Diet: Carnivore

• Wild – primarily fish and crustaceans but may also eat turtles, snakes, and frogs; larger individuals may eat small mammals and birds; juveniles feed primarily on small fish and invertebrates

• Zoo – fish, small rodents, chicks, crayfish, commercially prepared crocodilian diet

Reproduction

• Adults are solitary except during breeding season in February and March.

• Females build nests on forested riverbanks using wet vegetation that keeps the eggs warm as it decays. They lay between 13-27 eggs (average is 16) in April and stay nearby to protect the nest. This species has some of the largest eggs of all crocodilians.

• Hatchling sex is determined by the temperature of the nest, with warmer temperatures producing males and lower temperatures producing females. After an incubation of 90-100 days, hatchlings appear in July, which is also the beginning of the wet season. Like other crocodilians, the young hatch from the eggs with a full set of functional, sharp teeth.

• Offspring make a chirping vocalization when they begin hatching. When she hears this, the mother crocodile will use her teeth to help hatchlings chip out of their shells and may carry them in her mouth to nearby water. She protects her young until they are old enough to live on their own.

• Hatchling mortality in the first year is high. Young crocodiles may be preyed upon by just about any predatory lizards, snakes, turtles, large fishes, birds or mammals sharing their range.

• When hatchlings enter the water, they may form a crèche near the bank or among vegetation. An adult, usually the mother, usually stays nearby for protection.

Interpretive Information

• They hunt by swimming parallel to the riverbank and curving their tails to catch fish in shallow water.

• The West African and Central African populations are isolated from each other and are genetically distinct. They have officially been described as separate species. Based on what is known of individuals in human care, it is believed they are all the West African species.

• They are known to be a very vocal species, but the reasoning behind this is unknown and needs further research. They are considered by many to be the most vocal of the crocodiles.

• African slender-snouted crocodiles are a shy species with not much known about them in the wild. In 1996, they were rated by IUCN as Data Deficient, but in 2014 were reclassified as Critically Endangered.

• They have an excellent sense of hearing, eyesight, and smell. It is believed they can see in color.

• Like all crocodilians, they continually replace their teeth throughout their lives.

• Crocodilians are unique in that they have integumentary sense organs (ISOs) on all their body scales. Alligators only have them on their cranial (head) scales. These slightly raised, pigmented “spots” are extremely sensitive, and research into their function is ongoing. It has been proposed that ISOs aid in feeding, courtship and possibly even detecting water quality.

• Crocodilian reproductive anatomy and physiology are more similar to those of birds than to other reptiles.

Updated September 2024