Reptiles
Cuban Crocodile
Crocodylus rhombifer · also called cuban crocodile
The Cuban crocodile is a compact, brightly speckled crocodile with long legs, a scowling face, and a reputation among keepers as one of the boldest reptiles in any collection. It once ranged across Cuba; today it clings on in just two swamps, numbers a few thousand, and is being quietly erased by interbreeding with a commoner cousin. It is one of the most endangered crocodiles in the world.
Overview
The Cuban crocodile now lives in the wild only in the Zapata Swamp on Cuba’s main island and the Lanier Swamp on the Isle of Youth. It is usually 2.1–2.4 m long, powerfully built, with a short broad snout, a bony ridge behind the eyes, coarse pebbled scales, and a striking pattern of black flecks on yellow-green.
Built for land
More than any other New World crocodile, this is a terrestrial animal. Its legs are long and strong, its limbs heavily armoured, and it walks with a high gait and can jump clear of the water to take prey from overhanging branches. Its blunt back teeth crush turtle shells, and its build suggests that in the past it hunted the ground sloths and giant rodents that lived on the Caribbean islands until a few thousand years ago.
An endangered species
The wild population is roughly 2,400 to 4,000, confined to two swamps. It is under pressure from illegal hunting for meat, from habitat change, and above all from hybridisation: the Cuban crocodile interbreeds freely with the far more numerous American crocodile, and hybrids are increasingly common in the wild, so the pure species is being genetically diluted as well as reduced. It is listed as Critically Endangered.
A safety net
Breeding groups at the Zapata captive-breeding farm and in zoos around the world act as an assurance population, and captive-bred animals have been released to reinforce the wild crocodiles.
Cuban Crocodile: common questions
Why is the Cuban crocodile so endangered?
It has one of the smallest ranges of any crocodile, just two swamps, so there is very little room for error. Historically it was hunted intensively for its skin and meat, which crashed the population, and illegal hunting for meat still continues. On top of that, the species freely interbreeds with the American crocodile, which is common in the same region, and hybrid animals are increasingly found in the wild, so the pure Cuban crocodile is being genetically swamped as well as physically reduced. Changes to swamp water levels and vegetation, and the presence of invasive species, add further pressure. Together these factors keep it listed as Critically Endangered.
Is the Cuban crocodile dangerous to people?
It is a powerful predator and is widely regarded by those who work with crocodiles as one of the most aggressive and alert species in captivity, quick to lunge and able to jump. There have been bites and a small number of serious incidents, usually involving people fishing or moving through the swamps where the crocodiles live. That said, the species is now so rare and so localised that encounters are uncommon, and the conservation concern is overwhelmingly about the threat humans pose to the crocodile rather than the reverse.
What makes the Cuban crocodile different from other crocodiles?
Several things. It is relatively small but stockily built and unusually terrestrial, with long, strong, heavily armoured legs, a high walking gait, and a real ability to jump, which most crocodiles cannot do well. It has a short, deep snout and blunt back teeth suited to crushing turtles. Its scaly pattern of black speckles on a yellowish-green background is more vivid than that of most crocodiles, earning it the nickname pearly crocodile. And it shows some of the most complex behaviour reported in the family, including claims of coordinated group hunting.
Did the Cuban crocodile once hunt ground sloths?
Probably, at least in part. Until a few thousand years ago the Caribbean islands were home to large ground sloths and giant rodents, and the Cuban crocodile's strong legs, agility on land, and heavy crushing teeth fit the profile of an animal that hunted sizeable terrestrial prey rather than specialising on fish. With those large mammals gone, the crocodile now feeds mainly on fish, turtles, birds, and smaller mammals, and its terrestrial, jumping habits may be a leftover adaptation from a time when the Cuban wetlands held much bigger game.