The African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus), long thought to be a single species, is actually two distinct species, according to an international team of researchers from the University of Florida and the SFM Safari Gabon.
African slender-snouted crocodile. Image credit: Leyo / CC BY-SA 2.5 CH.
“The results emphasize how little is known about crocodile biogeography, or how species are distributed geographically over time, in Western and Central Africa”, said Dr Jim Austin of the University of Florida, the senior author of the study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Dr Austin and his colleagues describe that West African populations of the slender-snouted crocodile do not share the same genetic or specific physical features as those populations in Central Africa.
They estimate the two populations have been separated from each other geographically for about 6.5 – 7.5 million years.
“Now that researchers know the West African slender-snouted crocodile is not the same species as its Central African cousin that changes its standing,” said lead author Dr Matthew Shirley, also from the University of Florida.
“The West African slender-snouted crocodile is actually among the three or four most endangered crocodiles in the world. By finally recognizing that it is a unique species, we are in a much better position to advance its conservation and ensure its future.”
The team likened the plight of the West African slender-snouted crocodile to the American alligator, which was on the cusp of extinction in the 1960s, but because it was protected, can now be easily observed in nature.
In Africa, crocodiles are traded and consumed as bush meat, making them a significant protein source for residents. They also play a major role at the top of the food pyramid, with significant influence on fish and crustraceans, much as lions control antelope populations.
“If we remove them from the ecosystem, then there may be profound effects on fisheries resources in the future,” Dr Shirley said.
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Shirley MH et al. 2013. Rigorous approaches to species delimitation have significant implications for African crocodilian systematics and conservation. Proc. R. Soc. B, vol. 281, no. 1776; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2483
