Mecistops cataphractus
Silhouette: Smokeybjb · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The West African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus), or slender-snouted crocodile, is a critically endangered species of African crocodile. It is one of five species of crocodile in Africa, the other four being the Central African slender-snouted, Nile, West African and dwarf crocodiles.
The slender-snouted crocodile (M. cataphractus) was thought to be distributed across west Africa and into central Africa but the central African species has been separated as the Central African slender-snouted crocodile (M. leptorhynchus) based on studies in 2014 and 2018 that indicated that both were distinct species. The name cataphractus is retained for the West African species as that species was described first based on specimens from western Africa. The two species diverged about 6.5–7.5 mya, living in different river drainage zones that were geographically separated from each other by the Cameroon Line.
The genus name Mecistops is most probably derived from the Ancient Greek words μήκιστ (mēkist), meaning "longest", and ὄψ (óps) meaning "face". The specific epithet cataphractus is thought to be derived from the Greek word κατάφρακτος (katáphraktos) meaning "armoured... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Dvůr Králové Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoo de Lubumbashi | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | |
| 6 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Biotropica | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Crocodile Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 13 | Portland Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a West African slender-snouted crocodile sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 9 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a West African slender-snouted crocodile in Taï National Park on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month. October and December–February have too few records to rate.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most West African slender-snouted crocodile sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Taï National Park, in our data
Taï National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate West African slender-snouted crocodile sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the West African slender-snouted crocodile is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Taï National Park (12 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.
