West African slender-snouted crocodile
West African slender-snouted crocodile | |
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West African slender-snouted crocodile at the porte dorée aquarium in Paris, France | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
Clade: | Archosauriformes |
Order: | Crocodilia |
Family: | Crocodylidae |
Genus: | Mecistops |
Species: | M. cataphractus
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Binomial name | |
Mecistops cataphractus (Cuvier, 1825)
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Synonyms[4] | |
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The West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus), or slender-snouted crocodile, is a
The slender-snouted crocodile (M. cataphractus) was thought to be distributed across west Africa and into central Africa but the central African species has been separated as the Central African slender-snouted crocodile (M. leptorhynchus) based on studies in 2014 and 2018 that indicated that both were distinct species. The name cataphractus is retained for the West African species as that species was described first based on specimens from western Africa.[6] The two species diverged about 6.5–7.5 mya, living in different river drainage zones that were geographically separated from each other by the Cameroon Line.[7]
Etymology
The
Description
As with its relative, the West African slender-snouted crocodile has a very long, slender snout that it uses to catch fish and small aquatic invertebrates.[8] As with all crocodilians, larger animals may feed opportunistically on larger prey if it becomes available.[9] They are relatively medium-sized, but large males can exceed several other species of crocodilians in size. Three individuals measuring 2.31 to 2.62 m (7 ft 7 in – 8 ft 7 in) and weighing 50–95 kg (110–209 lb) had a bite force in the range of 1,704–2,447 N (383–550 lbf).[10] Adult males typically reach 3 to 4 m (9 ft 10 in – 13 ft 1 in) in length.[11][12] Large males can reportedly grow up to 4.5 m (15 ft) in length.[13] They generally weigh between 125 and 325 kg (276 and 717 lb).[14] The body mass of the largest males have been estimated to reach up to 667 kg (1,470 lb).[15]
Status
This species is relatively poorly known with few studies of the wild populations. Consequently, it was rated as
Distribution
West African slender-snouted crocodile occurs widely in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, southern Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, southern Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo) and extends into Cameroon in Central Africa.[4] They prefer to live in dense, vegetated bodies of water that are away from human settlements.[16] Their distribution is currently being monitored by drone surveillance[20] and prerecorded calls to attract them.[21]
References
- PMID 34567843.
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b Mecistops cataphractus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 30 January 2020.
- S2CID 85103427.
- ^ S2CID 54146247.
- ^ PMID 24335982.
- ^ "Crocodilian Species - Slender-snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus, Crocodylus cataphractus)".
- ^ "Crocodilian Species - Slender-snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus, Crocodylus cataphractus)".
- PMID 22431965.
- ^ "Slender-snouted Crocodile | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants". animals.sandiegozoo.org.
- ^ "West African Slender-snouted Crocodile". EDGE of Existence.
- ^ J Milan, R Hedegaard (2010). Interspecific variation in tracks and trackways from extant crocodylians. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. pp. 15–29.
- ^ "African Slender-snouted Crocodile". The Maryland Zoo.
- ISBN 9780429844232.
- ^ a b c Amoah et al. A Survival Blueprint for the conservation and management of the West African slender-snouted crocodile, Mecistops cataphractus in the Jimi River (Obuasi) and Tano River (Tanoso), Ghana. An output from the EDGE of Existence fellowship, Zoological Society of London, 2019.
- ^ a b Arrowood, H., & Mvele, C. (2017). Projet Faux Gavial reduces commerce of slender-snouted crocodile in Gabon. Oryx, 51(1), 13-14. doi:10.1017/S003060531600140X
- S2CID 82155811.
- ISSN 1042-7260.
- ISSN 1448-5494.
- ^ Staniewicz, Agata M. Acoustic Communication of Rare and Threatened Crocodilians and Its Use for Population Monitoring (Ph.D. thesis). England: University of Bristol (United Kingdom).