Critically Endangered
Orinoco crocodile
Crocodylus intermedius
Orinoco crocodile is an animal in the family Crocodylidae — Crocodylus intermedius, recorded as Critically Endangered.
Appearance
The Orinoco crocodile can be recognised by its relatively long snout, that is narrower than that of the somewhat similar-looking American crocodile. This species generally has a pale tan hide, though at least three coloration variations are known, with some almost completely yellowish, and some a dark brownish-gray. The skin can change colour over long periods of time. This phenomenon has been recorded in other species that can gradually change the amount of melanin in their skin.
One individual measuring 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) and weighing 182 kg (401 lb) had a bite force of 6,276 N (1,411 lbf).
Range and habitat
This species is restricted to the middle and lower reaches of the Orinoco river basin in Venezuela and Colombia. This crocodile was once thought to have inhabited a wide range of riparian habitats, from tropical forests to the streams of the Andes foothills. Today, this species is restricted to the Llanos savanna and associated seasonal freshwater rivers.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
Little study has gone into the dietary biology of Orinoco crocodiles but from eye-witness accounts and partial studies from captivity and crocodile farms, the majority of the Orinoco crocodile's diet appears to consist of large fish. The species' relatively narrow snout is ideally suited to minimize water resistance in capturing such aquatic prey.
Juveniles prey on invertebrates and small fish, while large individuals prey on fish, terrestrial vertebrates and birds. Despite having a rather elongated skull, its base snout is wide, hinting to a generalist diet. Usually 14 weeks after mating, the female crocodile will dig a nest and lay about 40 eggs.
In crisis
The Orinoco crocodile is a critically endangered crocodile that can only be found in the Orinoco river basin in Venezuela and Colombia. The ecology of the Orinoco crocodile is poorly documented in the wild, mostly due to its small population. It is thought to have a more piscivorous diet with an opportunistic nature, resulting in generalist predatory behaviour.
It is an apex predator and preys on a variety of birds, mammals and reptiles, among them caimans on occasion. Its prey base is mostly large predatory fish, challenging the general view by locals complaining about crocodiles hunting local fish to very low numbers.
CITES lists this taxon on Appendix I. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.
Orinoco crocodile is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Orinoco crocodile, Wikidata item Q272395. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
