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Cuban Crocodile
The Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) is a relic from the Pleistocene Era, when it was much more widely distributed in Cuba and some neighboring islands and fed largely on the now extinct giant ground sloths that roamed the landscape. Today, Cuban crocodiles are found only in two areas of Cuba, the Zapata Swamp and the Lanier Swamp on the Isle of Pines. Cuban crocodiles favor areas of peat swamp over limestone, and these habitat requirements, along with the loss of much of its natural prey over the last 15,000 years, has not boded well for the future of this unusual crocodile. Famed for its leaping ability, Cuban crocodiles are now being threatened by  human encroachment and by hybridization with the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), which overlaps range with the Cuban crocodile in both the Zapata and the Lanier Swamps. Since 1999, WCS has collaborated with two Cuban agencies (Departamento de Flora y Fauna and Parque Nacional Cienaga de Zapata) to monitor crocodile populations and develop conservation actions.
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