Fun Cuban Crocodile Facts For Kids
When it comes to the strength of their bite and their sheer size, the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) is not really the top of the crocodylidae family. Many studies, however, crown adult Cuban crocodiles as the most aggressive species of all crocodiles.
Moreover, they are also likely the most intelligent species of the lot. Crocodiles tend to be solitary predators, i.e.
they are self-reliant in catching their prey from start to finish.
However, Cuban crocodiles are known to exhibit pack-hunting behavior in captivity. Pack-hunting is something otherwise almost unheard of in extant species of crocodiles.
Cuban crocodiles are also one of the rarest crocodile species - there are only about 3,000-5,000 of them.
Its unique qualities - such as its great curiosity - coupled with the fact that it is also a Critically Endangered species as listed by the IUCN, makes it a very iconic life form that Cuba prizes greatly and has attempted to preserve of late.
A few miles south of Havana, the Zapata Swamp is the Cuban crocodile's biggest home today. In Cuba, Castro's affinity to native Cuban wildlife is common knowledge.
But it is very apparent how he took the Cuban crocodile to be a point of personal and national pride, given how commonly he presented Cuban crocodiles to foreign allies as gifts and diplomatic tokens.
If you like what you read check out the dwarf crocodile and the saltwater crocodile.