Dwarf Crocodile Skull Replica

$242.00

As a result of its small size and heightened vulnerability to predation, the Dwarf Crocodile has a heavily armored neck, back, and tail and also has osteoderms on its belly and underside of it’s neck.

Description

Dwarf Crocodile Skull Replica measures 10.6 inches. Dwarf Crocodile Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The Dwarf Crocodile or Osteolaemus tetraspis, also known as the African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile or bony crocodile, is an African crocodile that is also the smallest extant (living) species of crocodile.

Adults are all dark above and on their sides, while the underside is yellowish with black patches. Individuals living in caves may have orange patches, apparently due to acidic bat guano that erodes the skin of the crocodile.

As a result of its small size and heightened vulnerability to predation, this species of crocodile has a heavily armored neck, back, and tail and also has osteoderms on its belly and underside of neck.

The Dwarf Crocodile or Osteolaemus tetraspis has a blunt short snout, as long as it is wide. The dentition consists of four premaxillary teeth, 12 to 13 on the maxilla, and 14 to 15 on the dentary bone.

Dwarf crocodile or Osteolaemus tetraspis is a timid and mainly nocturnal reptile that spends the day hidden in pools or burrows, although it occasionally may be active during the day.

Foraging is mainly done in or near the water, although the Osteolaemus tetraspis is considered to be one of the most terrestrial species of crocodilian and may expand the feeding pattern to land in extensive forays, especially after rains.

Dwarf crocodiles or Osteolaemus tetraspis are generalist predators and have been recorded feeding on a wide range of small animals such as fish, crabs, frogs, gastropods, insects, lizards, water birds, bats and shrews.

In a study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo the primary food item was fish, and in a study in Nigeria the primary food items were gastropods and crabs.

In the Congo there is a level of seasonality in its diet, changing from fish in the wet season to crustaceans in the dry season where fish are less available.

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Additional information

Weight 15 lbs
Dimensions 10.6 in
Dwarf Crocodile Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Subfamily: Crocodylinae
Clade: Osteolaeminae
Genus: Osteolaemus
Species: O. tetraspis
Binomial name: Osteolaemus tetraspis
Conservation status: Vulnerable