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Animal profile

Congo Dwarf Crocodile

Osteolaemus osborni

ReptiliaSwamp forest, small streams and seasonally flooded rainforest

Field profile

The Congo dwarf crocodile is a small, blunt-snouted crocodile of Congo basin swamp forest, described in 1919 and later treated as a subspecies before genetic work restored it as a full species. It is nocturnal, secretive and rarely encountered by visitors despite being locally common in some areas.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-04-01

Congo Dwarf Crocodile

The Congo dwarf crocodile is traded live as meat

Dwarf crocodiles are among the most heavily hunted crocodilians in Africa, taken not for hides but for food. Their small size means they are often kept alive, bound, for days in markets, which makes the trade hard to quantify from carcass counts.

Read with evidence →

Congo Dwarf Crocodile | Daily Animal Facts