Add Animal
    Mammals
    Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Animals Ray-finned fishes Myxini – Hagfishes Petromyz' – Lampreys Sharks & rays Holocep' – Chimaeras Dipneusti – Lungfish Coelac' – Coelacanths Insecta – Insects / bugs Gastropoda – Snails & slugs Cephalopoda – Squids & octopuses Arachnida – Spiders & scorpions Malacostraca – Malacostracans Diplopoda – Millipedes Bivalvia – Marine molluscs Chilopoda – Centipedes Pycnogonida – Sea spiders Merostomata – Horseshoe crabs More Classes
    Filters

    Regions

    See AllSelect

    Habitat

    See AllSelect

    Osteolaemus – Dwarf crocodiles

    Smallest of crocodiles with broad snouts native to Central-West Africa

    African dwarf crocodiles once assumed to be a single species, are now believed to represent two separate species. More than 20 million years ago, dwarf crocodiles split from their closest cousins, the slender-snouted crocodiles. They rarely grow longer than 1.5 meters (4.9 ft).

    They live in west African mangrove swamps, rainforests, slow-moving rivers, and streams and sleep most of the day. Dwarf crocodiles are one of the most prolific sources of bushmeat found throughout the region in terms of weight and are severely impacted by local people’s hunting for meat and commerce. Loss of habitat is another problem facing both species.