Philippine Crocodile
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Creature Profile
The Philippine crocodile was once thought to be a subspecies of the New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae) but now considered to be an individual species. It is only found on the Philippine islands, and it is a relatively small and unagressive species. Adult males can grow up to 9.8 feet in length, and females are smaller than males. Its snout is broad and it has heavy dorsal armor. The Philippine crocodile has between 66 and 68 teeth, and they are always growing, meaning that if they constantly fall out, new ones are always growing. Crocodiles are survivors and can live up to a hundred years.
The Philippine crocodile is a freshwater crocodile and can be found in small lakes and ponds, small riverine tributaries, and marshes. They are excellent predators and can take prey as large as antelopes. Smaller individuals mainly feed on fish, shrimp, rats, and water snails. Philippine crocodiles also allow "crocodile birds" to scavenge food scraps from their teeth. Little is known about the reproductive behavior of the species. Females lay between 7 and 20 eggs and incubates them for 85 days. The males do not help with incubating the eggs.
The Philippine crocodile is one of the most severely threatened species in the world. Threats to the species include exploitation and human disturbance such as accidental deaths during dynamite fishing. The species is legally protected in the Philippines, and there is a conservation organization (The Dutch/Filipino Mabuwaya Foundation) dedicated to the preservation of the species.
Wikipedia Article
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Wikipedia Article Copyright Notice: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Philippine crocodile". |
May 11, 2017
Glenn, C. R. 2006. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Philippine Crocodile Facts" (Online). Accessed 4/24/2024 at http://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=94&ID=3.
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