#osteolaemus tetraspis

[arminreindl]

Mooing crocodiles

Some interesting news on croc vocalisation I completely forgot to talk about. A recent paper on the West African Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) revealed a before unknown diversity in noises it is able to produce. By recording captive animals and comparing the noises made by them to recordings suspected to be those of wild individuals, researchers could identify FOUR new types of calls not seen previously in crocodilians.

These calls range from low frequency sounds like "drums" (short) and "rumbles" (long) to more higher frequency sounds like "gusts" and what the scientists refer to as "moos".

Though the paper itself didn't include sound files (to my knowledge), you can hear the "mooing" sound and some others around the 16 minute mark in this here podcast Podcasts | Weekly: Antimatter falls down; Virtual healthcare comes with a price; What’s causing Europe’s insect apocalypse? | New Scientist

Croc vocalisation is a generally underappreciated field of research that usually gets little attention, no doubt because many pass of crocodiles as silent animals when really they can be quite vocal and have a surprisingly broad range, small forms like the dwarf crocodiles especially. This can even be seen in this study, as the wild sounds were only recorded on "accident" by a study focused on elephants.

Also for those unfamiliar with dwarf crocodiles, here's an image of one.

[herpsandbirds]

African Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis), family Crocodylidae, found in West-central Africa

This small crocodile species only grows to a length of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft), on average.

photographs by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

[games-gamesdesign]

Species

There are a total of 18 extant species have been recognized.

American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)

Hall's New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus halli)

Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)

Freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)

Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii)

Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae)

Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)

Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)

Borneo crocodile (Crocodylus raninus)

Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer)

Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)

West African crocodile (Crocodylus suchus)

Osborn’s dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus osborni)

Dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)

West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus)

Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus)

[nedsecondline]

African Dwarf Crocodile Osteolaemus tetraspis — Palm Oil Detectives | Barbara Crane Navarro

African Dwarf Crocodiles are timid nocturnal animals and solitary hunters. They predate mainly on small animals in rivers or nearby to the riverbank. They are also known as the Broad-Snouted Crocodile or the Bony Crocodile are the smallest extant species of crocodile in the world and are typically around 1.5 metres in length. They face persecution by humans and other animals and spend most of…

[crudlynaturephotos]

[orifice-torture]

(Osteolaemus tetraspis) West African dwarf crocodile 

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Volume 6: Reptiles. Written by Bernard Grzimek. 1984. Illustration by Helmut Diller.

1.) Dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)

2.) False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii)

3.) Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

4.) American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)

5.) Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)

6.) Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

[iihbki3]

Picture of the day: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) in the Exotenhaus of the Karlsruhe Zoo. https://t.co/ApcGQrTv37

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

African Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)

(Photo from Franklin Park Zoo)

Conservation Status- Vulerable

Habitat- Western Africa

Size (Weight/Length)- 32.2 kg; 179.8 cm

Diet- Small mammals; fish; crabs; insects; amphibians

Cool Facts- The African dwarf crocodile is the smallest known species of crocodile. Despite their small size, it doesn’t make them any less dangerous than their much larger relatives. While most African dwarf crocodiles sport a dark brown color that looks black in water, certain individuals living in caves in the Gabonese Republic have an orange coloration. This results from living in water that has high levels of bat poo in the water that erodes the brown scales and leave a dull orange behind. African dwarf crocodiles are mostly nocturnal and relatively shy, only taking on prey that they know they can overpower and eat.

Rating- 12/10 (They protecc. They attacc. But most importantly, they perfecc.)

[archosaurophilia]

Very pleased to have (finally!) written a crocodilian article for the blog. Find out what we know about the curious dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus) here.

[pwlanier]

A LATE VICTORIAN TAXIDERMY DWARF CROCODILE (OSTEOLAEMUS TETRASPIS) MOUNTED AS A DUMBWAITER

LATE 19TH/ EARLY 20TH CENTURY

On a mahogany base, the caiman perched on a green-leather upholstered cushion, with wine coaster in his claw engraved 'NAPPER', a brass chain around his ankle

39 in. (99 cm.) high; the base 20 x 22 in. (51 x 56 cm.) square

Christie’s

[daily-reptile]

Dwarf Crocodile

The dwarf crocodile, also known as the African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile or bony crocodile, is an African crocodile that is also the smallest extant species of crocodile. Sampling has identified three genetically distinct populations.

Scientific name: Osteolaemus tetraspis

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Length: 4-6 feet

Weight: 40-70 pounds

[paradisezero]

Wikipedia picture of the day on October 14, 2020: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) in the Exotenhaus of the Karlsruhe Zoo. Learn more.

[davi2206]

Wikipedia picture of the day on October 14, 2020: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) in the Exotenhaus of the Karlsruhe Zoo. https://ift.tt/37235ty

[emzeciorrr]

Wikipedia picture of the day on October 14, 2020: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) in the Exotenhaus of the Karlsruhe Zoo. Learn more.

[mike13mt]

Wikipedia picture of the day on October 14, 2020: Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) in the Exotenhaus of the Karlsruhe Zoo. Learn more.