5 Interesting Facts About Philippine Crocodiles

Here is a cute little baby Philippine crocodile showing off his little teeth

One of my favourite families of animals is the crocodile family, so today I would like to write about one of the rarest and least known, the Philippine crocodile.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. Compared to other crocodile species, these guys are relatively small, growing to up to 3 metres long.  Males are slightly larger than females.
2. They mainly live in freshwater areas, including small lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.
3. Each Philippine crocodile has between 66-68 very sharp teeth.  These teeth are constantly falling out and being replaced.  They use their sharp teeth to catch invertebrates, fish, frogs and small reptiles.  They are not considered to be a danger to humans.
4. At breeding time, they make a small nest and lay 7-20 eggs.
5. One of the most critically endangered crocodiles in the world, it is estimated that there are only between 100 and 250 adults left in the wild.  They are extinct from most of their former range and are only found in a couple of protected areas.  Habitat loss, poaching and poor fishing practices are the major threats.  Thankfully, there is a captive breeding program that it attempting to save these wonderful crocodiles from extinction.  My local zoo in Melbourne is a part of this program and I have seen these guys there.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about Philippine crocodiles?

Similar species:

Saltwater Crocodile