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MIAMI – For nearly 85 years, crocodile experts knew only three species in Africa: the dwarf, the Nile and the slender snout.
Researchers, including Matthew Shirley of the Tropical Conservation Institute of the International University of Florida and George Amato of the American Museum of Natural History, have recently identified two species of the Nile and three dwarf species.
And now, as she studied the endangered variety with a slender snout, senior researcher Shirley and a team of researchers discovered a new species of African crocodile, which he named the Central Snouted Crocodile of Central Africa.
The discovery, conducted by senior researcher Shirley, also a National Geographic explorer, is detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Zootaxa.
The freshwater species, found from Cameroon to Tanzania, has been officially named Mecistops leptorhynchus, reported National Geographic.
Until this discovery, the fang was considered to be the same species as its slender-snouted West African counterpart, Mecistops cataphractus, which reduced the total population of the species to around 500 people.
"Recognizing the slender-headed crocodile as actually two different species is a major conservation concern," said Shirley in FIU News, a statement released by the FIU. "We estimate that only 10% of slender snouted crocodiles are found in West Africa, which has the effect of reducing its population by 90%, so this crocodile is one of the most the most endangered crocodiles in the world. "
Aside from important genetic differences that first diverged more than eight million years ago in a volcanic region today called Cameroon, the thin – nosed fangs of the Pacific Ocean are known to be extinct. Central Africa differ in appearance from their West African cousins, explained Shirley in National Geographic. Recently discovered species have softer, smoother skin and smaller, lighter scales. The Central African snout croco also has no bony crest on the skull, unlike the West African species.
Jennifer Nestler of the University of Florida and Kent Vliet, Christopher Brochu of the University of Iowa and Amanda Carr of Western Washington University join Shirley in the study, which covers 14 African countries, and co-authored the report.
Mecistops leptorhynchus "is the first species since 1935 to follow the entire process of designation and formal designation," according to National Geographic.
The discovery is vital for conservation efforts and efforts to protect the fangs from poaching and habitat loss, Shirley said.
"The dwarf and Nile crocodiles knew that something was happening, so we decided to see if something similar was happening to slender snouted crocodiles," Shirley said in the CRF statement. "My goal was not to describe a new species, we undertook to examine the evidence and better understand these elusive crocodiles."
The research, which has taken years, is underway. "These are truly in danger of extinction," Shirley told National Geographic. Fangs could "disappear at any moment."
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PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): SCI-CROCODILE-SPECIES
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