Crocodylus moreletii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), also known commonly as the Mexican crocodile, the Belize crocodile, and el cocodrilo de pantano in Spanish, is a modest-sized crocodilian in the family Crocodylidae. The species is found only in the Atlantic regions of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It usually grows to about 3 metres (10 ft) in total length (tail included). It is a species at least concern for extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The species has a fossil record in Guatemala. Morelet's crocodile was first discovered in 1850 in Mexico by the French naturalist Pierre Marie Arthur Morelet. The species was subsequently named after him in 1851 by French herpetologists Auguste Duméril and Gabriel Bibron. It was long confused with the American and Cuban crocodiles because of similar characteristics and an ambiguous type locality. It was not generally accepted as a separate species until the 1920s.
The genus Crocodylus likely originated in Africa and radiated outwards towards Southeast Asia and the Americas, although an Australia/Asia origin has also been considered. Phylogenetic evidence supports Crocodylus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Belize Crocodile sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 275 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 15 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, October and December–February
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Belize Crocodile in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August and September, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Belize Crocodile sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Belize Crocodile sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ranks 5th at about 30%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 60%), Celestún Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 50%) and Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Belize Crocodile is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (275 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
