The New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae ) is a small species of crocodile found on the island of New Guinea north of the mountain ridge that runs along the centre of the island. The population found south of the mountain ridge, formerly considered a genetically distinct population, is now considered a distinct species, Hall's New Guinea crocodile (C. halli ). In the past it included the Philippine crocodile, C. n. mindorensis, as a subspecies, but today they are regarded as separate species. The habitat of the New Guinea crocodile is mostly freshwater swamps and lakes. It is most active at night when it feeds on fish and a range of other small animals. A female crocodile lays a clutch of eggs in a nest composed of vegetation and she lies up nearby to guard the nest. There is some degree of parental care for newly hatched juveniles. This crocodile was over-hunted for its valuable skin in the mid 20th century, but conservation measures have since been put in place, it is reared in ranches and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as being of "Least Concern".
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Ambush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe New Guinea crocodile is a small species of crocodile found on the island of New Guinea. It is grey to brown in color, with darker bandings on the tail and body which become less noticeable as the animal grows. Longitudinal ridges in front of the eyes and some granular scales on the back of the neck between four large scales are distinctive features of this species. The snout is pointed and relatively narrow during juvenile stages and becomes wider as the animal matures.
New Guinea crocodiles occur on the island of New Guinea north of the mountain ridge that runs along the center of the island. They inhabit freshwater swamps, marshes, and lakes. They have been known to enter brackish waters but are generally very rare in coastal areas.
New Guinea crocodiles have a mostly aquatic lifestyle and are largely nocturnal. They spend much of the day underwater, often with their nostrils and eyes above the surface. Powerful side-to-side movements of their tails propel them through the water and they use both tail and legs to steer. When on land, they favor shady, dense areas of undergrowth. They tend to bask in a group during the day, dispersing at night to feed. These crocodiles catch their prey by stealth with a flick of their head, impaling it with their sharp teeth and gripping and crushing it. They are surprisingly agile and can lunge their body upward into the air to catch bats, flying birds, and leaping fish. They can also probe into the mud at the bottom of a river or swamp with their snout to search for crabs and mollusks. New Guinea crocodiles use various vocalizations to communicate with each other. An adult female can produce a repeated throaty "roar" when approached by another adult. The young start communicating with each other while still in the egg; this may help synchronize hatching. Newly hatched juveniles use various yelps and grunts. When startled, a warning sound emitted by one will send all the juveniles diving to the bottom of the water. Adults in the vicinity respond with growls, threats, and attacks.
New Guinea crocodiles are carnivores. Adult feed largely on fish, shrimps, crabs, frogs, snakes, birds, and medium-sized mammals. Newly hatched crocodiles feed on aquatic insects, spiders, tadpoles, freshwater snails, frogs, fish, and small mammals.
New Guinea crocodiles are polygynous meaning that males mate with more than one female in a single mating season. In the northern population, breeding usually takes place during the dry season between August and October. A floating nest composed of vegetation is made in shallow water in an overgrown channel, at the edge of a lake, on a scroll swale, or beside a stream. The female lays a clutch of between 22 and 45 eggs and covers it with further vegetation. The southern population prefers to breed during the wet season. The nest is sometimes built in similar locations to the northern nests but is more often on land, and a smaller number of rather larger eggs is laid. In both populations, the mother stays near the nest during the incubation period, which lasts about 80 days. When the eggs start to hatch, the emerging young are quite vocal, and both male and female crocodiles transport hatching and newly hatched young to open water, carrying them delicately in their mouths. Females become reproductively mature when about 1.6-2 meters (5 ft 3 in-6 ft 7 in) long and males at about 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in).
The New Guinea crocodile was over-hunted for its valuable skin in the mid 20th century and some eggs and hatchlings are still removed from the nest and raised in enclosures.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the New Guinea crocodile is 100,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...