Cuban Crocodile

Facts

IUCN CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)

Facts about this animal

The Cuban Crocodile has a snout of medium length, about 1.4 to 1.6 times as long as broad at the level of the front corners of the eyes. It has an unpaired elevated area in shape of a triangle in front of the eyes, with somewhat swollen side margins, and extending nearly to the nasal swelling. The colour of the upper body surface is blackish, densely speckled with yellow. The lower surface is uniformly light, without black blotches. The iris is greenish. It can grow up to 4 m, but is usually about 2.5 m.

Did you know?
that farms were established in the late 1950s and 1960s for reproducing Cuban crocodiles for skin and meat production, and that now a relatively large number of animals are produced annually to satisfy demand?

Factsheet
Class	REPTILIA
Order	CROCODYLIA
Suborder	EUSUCHIA
Family	CROCODYLIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Crocodylus rhombifer
Name (English)	Cuban Crocodile
Name (French)	Crocodile de Cuba
Name (German)	Rautenkrokodil
Name (Spanish)	Caimán de Cuba
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Ralf Sommerlad

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Cuba
Habitat	Prefers fresh water marshes or swamps
Wild population	3,000 to 6,000, most likely 4,000 (2009)
Zoo population	61 reported to ISIS (2009)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 42 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Eric Mas Casas

Why do zoos keep this animal

With its length of 3 m C. rhombifer is an attractive medium-sized crocodilian which is well suited to be kept in zoos. In addition it has considerable educational value, since it is a critically endangered flagship species for the highly threatened freshwater swamps, rivers and lakes in its range. Also an internationally coordinated conservation breeding program would be urgently needed since the species is further threatened through hybridisation with the sympatric living species C. acutus. However C. rhombifer is kept and bred only occasionally in zoos.

How this animal should be kept

Keeping this species in spacious, well structured enclosures is well possible. The surrounding fence or moat needs to be strong and have substantial foundations as crocodilians are very good at digging. In temperate or colder climatic zones keeping outdoors may, however, be possible at best during the summer period.

Mostly, the animals will have to be kept in indoor facilities where the following minimum standards should apply: For a pair of adults an enclosure with no less than 12 m² land and 15 m² water surface is required, for each additional adult both, land and water part, are to be enlarged by 3 m². Average water depth 80 cm. The landpart should be structured e.g. by logs, the floor should be covered with sand or gravel. Floor temperature locally 35ºC (floor heating), air temperature 24-30ºC, water temperature 24-26ºC. Humidity 60-80 %. Light phase 12-14 h per day, HQI lamps. Daily ultraviolet irradiation. During the reproduction period foliage should be provided as nesting material.