Siamese crocodile

Crocodylus siamensis

This crocodile lives in lowland topical fresh water environments in south-east Asia and Indonesia.

 

It is medium-sized, although males can reach up to 4 metres long, and is not generally considered dangerous for humans. It is one of the most endangered crocodiles in the wild, although it is quite populated in captivity, as it is bred to obtain its valuable hide.

Natural habit

Tailandia, Laos, Camboya, Vietnam, Malasia y algunas islas de Indonesia como Java y Borneo.

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and certain Indonesian islands, such as Java and Borneo
  • Distribution / Resident
  • Breeding
  • Wintering
  • Subspecies

Risk level

  • Extint
  • Extint in the wild
  • Critically endangered
  • In Danger
  • Vulnerable
  • Near threatened
  • Minor concern
  • Insufficient data
  • Not evaluated
Critically endangered

Taxonomy

Class
Reptilia
Order
Crocodylia
Family
Crocodylidae

Physical characteristics

60-70
Birth Weight:
3-4 m
40 - 50 years

Biology

Habitat
Fresh water
Social life
Gregarious
Feeding
Carnivorous

Reproduction

Gestation
70 - 80
Days
Baby
15 - 50 eggs

Discover how they are

Biology

Description

The Siamese crocodile is not a large animal, as its size usually does not exceed 3 metres long, 4 at most. It has a large head in comparison to its body, and protruding eyes and nostrils, as proof of its aquatic lifestyle.  Its limbs are similar to other crocodiles’, with five fingers on the front legs and four on the rear ones, albeit longer.

 

Its body has stripes alternating its colour between olive and brown. Young crocodiles have a golden or brownish hue, with black stripes and spots all over their body.

Habitat

Lakes, streams, slow current rivers, swamps and fresh water lowland marshlands.

Feeding

It mainly feeds on fish, but it can also capture reptiles, amphibians, birds and small mammals. It also eats carrion. Young crocodiles feed on arthropods, insects, crabs and amphibians.  As in all crocodiles, they are unable to chew, so they have to shake the prey in order to tear it to pieces with their teeth.

Reproduction

The reproductive season takes places during the rainy period. Females build a kind of nest, several meters from the water, where they lay fifteen to fifty eggs. The nest is shaped like a mound, consisting of a mixture of soil, leaves and other plant material, reaching 150 cm of diameter and 30 cm tall.  Females visit their nests regularly until the eggs hatch, and then they carry the babies to the water, on its mouth.

Conduct

It is medium-sized, although males can reach up to 4 metres long, and is not generally considered dangerous for humans. Its habits are generally sedentary and during the rainy season, it scatters across several flooded areas of its habitat. This species has been spotted up to 600 m high.

Status and conservation programs

It is one of the most endangered crocodiles in the wild, although it is quite populated in captivity, as it is bred to obtain its valuable hide. From animals in captivity, some introductions have been carried out in its native environment, where it had become almost completely extinct. The main threats to this species are the conversion of its habitat into farming land and poaching for its hide. In some regions of its distribution area, the native population protect these crocodiles, for they consider them to be sacred animals.