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Finding could have major implications for conservation
FIU crocodile expert Matthew Shirley poses with juvenile Central African slender-snouted crocodiles.
While studying the critically endangered slender-snouted crocodile, researchers made a startling discovery – what they thought was one species is actually two. The discovery concerns about whether current conservation practices are enough to protect them.
The slender-snouted crocodile is medium-sized, lives in freshwater habitats, and, has its name suggests, has a long and slender snout. When scientists analyzed the world of crocodiles in six African countries, they found two distinct species of slender-snouted crocodiles – one unique to West Africa and one unique to Central Africa. The Central African slender-snouted crocodile is the first new living crocodile species in the world.
"Recognizing the slender-snouted crocodile as well as other causes of conservation is of concern," said Matthew Shirley, an expert crocodile at Florida International University's Tropical Conservation Institute and lead researcher of the team that made the discovery. "We estimate only 10 percent of slender-snouted crocodiles occur in West Africa, effectively decreasing its population by 90 percent. This makes the West African slender-snouted crocodile one of the most critically endangered crocodile species in the world. "
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed slender-snouted crocodiles as "critically endangered" in 2014. They are threatened by habitat loss, hunting and overfishing – which are reduced by their food supply and leads to drown in net. At first glance, the West african and Central african slender-snouted crocodiles appear quite similar. In addition to the differences in their DNA, the scientists found in the skull shape and the scales that strongly support the existence of two species.
Slender-snouted crocodiles are understudied and underrepresented in conservation programs. First described in 1824, they live in very remote areas and have little interaction with people. Camouflage themselves from prey and seek refuge from potential predators in highly vegetated bodies of water. They're also incredibly shy. Finding crocodiles to examine and collect DNA samples from the wild.
Shirley's most important implications for understanding crocodile evolution and diversity, as well as conservation. Conservation policies require the accurate naming of species and assessment of population numbers. The future of the West African slender-snouted crocodile will likely depend on the success of captive breeding and reintroduction programs, according to the researchers.
"We hope that this understanding of slender-snouted crocodile evolution and taxonomy draws much-needed attention to the plight of this species, which has long been recognized as the world's crocodilian," Shirley says.
The researchers published their findings in Zootaxa. The team also includes researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Iowa.
This is the first time researchers have discovered cryptic crocodile species hiding in plain sight. Until recently, only three crocodile species have been recognized in Africa – the dwarf, Nile and slender-snouted crocodiles. Nile species and three dwarf species – discoveries also lead or support by Shirley and others.
"We knew about the crocodiles that were going on, so we decided to make crocodiles," Shirley said. "My objective was not to describe a new species. We set out to examine the evidence and better understand these elusive crocodiles. "
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