Crocodylus suchus
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The West African crocodile, desert crocodile, or sacred crocodile (Crocodylus suchus) is a species of crocodile related to, and often confused with, the larger Nile crocodile (C. niloticus). The species was named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1807, who discovered differences between the skulls of a mummified crocodile and those of Nile crocodile (C. niloticus). However, this new species was long afterwards regarded as a synonym of the Nile crocodile. The advent of DNA analysis would validate Saint-Hilaire's findings; a 2003 study proposed the resurrection of C. suchus, and several other studies conducted between 2011 and 2015 supported Crocodylus suchus as a valid species.
Despite the long history of confusion, genetic testing has revealed that this species and the Nile crocodile are not particularly close: the closest relatives of the Nile crocodile are the Crocodylus species from the Americas, while the West African crocodile diverged before their common ancestor did so; this species is basal to the clade of Nile and New World crocodiles.
Below is a cladogram based on a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 2 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basel Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 2 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 3 | Dublin Zoo | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 4 | Bioparque Estrella | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Safari World | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Kano Zoo | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 7 | Explorer Village | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 8 | Abidjan zoo | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | |
| 9 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 11 | Kumasi Zoo | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 12 | La Ferme aux crocodiles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Jardin zoologique de la ville de Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Birds Paradise | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Crocoparc Agadir | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 16 | Gambia Reptile Farm | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 17 | St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Two Oceans Aquarium | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 19 | Aquatis | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 20 | Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Audu Bako Zoo | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 22 | Imo State Zoological Garden | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 23 | Parc animalier de Sarakawa | 🇹🇬 Togo |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ouagadougou, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a West African Crocodile sighting in Ouagadougou on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April, July and November–December
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a West African Crocodile in Ouagadougou on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month. Those are among Ouagadougou's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 250 mm in August.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most West African Crocodile sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate West African Crocodile sightings, Ouagadougou has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Serrekunda (Gambia, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the West African Crocodile is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ouagadougou (43 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
