Species Fact Profile: West African Slender-Snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus)

West African Slender-Snouted Crocodile

Mecistops cataphractus (Cuvier, 1825)

Range: Western Africa
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest,Shallow Rivers, Wetlands, Coastal Lagoons
Diet: Fish, Frogs, Snakes, Crustaceans, Waterbirds
Social Grouping: Males Solitary, Females Loosely Social
Reproduction: Female constructs nest by scraping together shallow vegetation in a shady spot near the water.  12-30 large hard-shelled eggs are laid; hatch 90-100 days later.  Sex of offspring is determined by incubation temperature of the eggs.  Mother assists young in breaking out of eggs, carries them to the water to protect them for a period of time.  Sexually mature at 2-2.5 meters in length, or 10-15 years old
Lifespan: 35 Years (Captivity)
Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered, CITES Appendix I

• Maximum recorded length 4 meters, with males larger than females.
• Extremely slender snot lacks any bony ridges, is an adaptation for opening and closing the jaws quickly in the water for catching small fish or for probing into burrows and among submerged roots.  Sometimes called the "African gharial" 
• Adult skin is brown-yellow with large black spots, greener towards the head and paler on the underside. Juveniles are greenish-gray with brown or black blotches
• Adults have no predators except for humans - eggs and hatchlings may be preyed upon by otters, leopards, birds, and larger slender-snouted crocodiles
• Latin name translates as "Longest Looking Armored One"
• Perhaps the least studied crocodile species in the world.  Until recently was classified as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN.  Status in wild is unknown, but believed to be in decline.  Threats include hunting (for hides and for bushmeat) and entanglement and drowning in fishing nets.  Offered legal protection, but it is poorly enforced
• Once described as a single species, ranging from The Gambia east to Tanzania.  Now believed to be at least two species - the Central African (M. leptorhynchus) and West African.  DNA sequencing as revealed that all individuals in US zoos sampled were West African