As the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) slithers to extinction, Colombian scientists are embarking on a desperate effort to save the species’ 34 remaining members in the Colombian Orinoco and to repopulate the region with captive-bred crocs. The three-year, $574,000 project, organized and funded by national and local environmental authorities and Colombia’s National University, could be the last hope for South America’s largest predator. The crocodile, which can reach lengths of 23 feet (seven meters) and weigh 840 pounds (380 kilos), is endemic to the Orinoco region of Colombia and Venezuela. Thousands of the crocodiles inhabited the Orinoco a century ago, but habitat destruction and hunting have cut the population down to less than 1,000 in both Colombia and Venezuela today. The World Conservation... [Log in to read more]
