Orinoco crocodile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orinoco crocodile |
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Orinoco crocodile in the Newport Aquarium | |
Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Genus: |
Crocodylus
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Species: |
intermedius
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Range (green) |
The Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) is a critically endangered crocodile. Its population is very small. It only lives in the Orinoco river and its tributaries. It was hunted for their skins in the 19th and 20th centuries. This species is one of the most critically endangered type of crocodiles. It is a very large type of crocodile. Males have been reported to grow up to 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) in the past. Today, males do not grow up to such sizes. 5.2 m (17 ft 1 in) is the maximum size males. A big male today may reach 4.1 m (13 ft 5 in) in length and can weigh 380 kg (840 lb). Females are smaller with the biggest likely to weigh around 225 kg (496 lb).
Images for kids
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Orinoco crocodile in Villavicencio, Colombia
See also
In Spanish: Cocodrilo del Orinoco para niños