Baby Orinoco Crocodile
The Orinoco
crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius), is a critically endangered crocodile. Its population is very small, estimated at only 547 in the wild and it can only be found in freshwater environments in Colombia and Venezuela of northern South America, in particular the Orinoco River and its tributaries.
Extensively hunted for their skins in the 19th and 20th centuries, this species is one of the most critically endangered species of extant crocodiles.
It is a very large species, in fact the largest species of crocodilian and predator in the Americas. Males have been reported up to 6.6 m (22 ft) in the past but such sizes do not exist today, 5.2 m (17 ft) being a more widely accepted maximum size.
Adult Orinoco Crocodile
Males average at 4.1 m (13 ft) in length weighing 380 kg (840 lb), while females are slightly smaller averaging at 225 kg (500 lb). Sexual dimorphism isn't as profound as in some other species. The coloration is light even in adults.
The Orinoco
crocodile can be recognised by its relatively long snout, which is narrower than that of the somewhat similar-looking American crocodile.
This species generally has a pale tan hide, though at least three coloration variations are known, with some almost completely yellowish and some a dark brownish-gray. It has been noted that the skin can change colour over long periods of time; this phenomenon has been recorded in other species that can gradually change the amount of melanin in their skin. These crocodiles have dark brown markings, which present as more pronounced bands in younger specimens and as scattered markings on mature ones.