Crocodylus porosus Schneider, 1801

Kaiser, Hinrich, Carvalho, Venancio Lopes, Ceballos, Jester, Freed, Paul, Heacox, Scott, Lester, Barbara, Richards, Stephen J., Trainor, Colin R., Sanchez, Caitlin & O'Shea, Mark, 2011, The herpetofauna of Timor-Leste: a first report, ZooKeys 109, pp. 19-86 : 49-50

Crocodylus porosus Schneider, 1801 Fig. 30

Common names.

(E) Saltwater Crocodile, Indo-Pacific Crocodile, Estuarine Crocodile, Naked-necked Crocodile. (T) Lafa’ek tasi ( lafa’ek = large lizard, tasi = ocean).

Identification.

As the only crocodilian known from Timor and as a creature at the root of the Timorese creation myth, this species probably requires no detailed description. However, Crocodylus porosus differs from other crocodiles in the possession of less dermal armor, including lacking the typically four crocodilian post-occipital scutes (between the rear of the skull and a cluster of six nuchal scutes over the shoulders) so obvious on the necks of other species, hence the name 'naked-necked crocodile’.

Collection and natural history.

We saw and photographed several individuals of Crocodylus porosus in the wild, most frequently in rivers while driving across bridges. We also saw two captive individuals in Aileu, Aileu District. There exists a substantial population of Crocodylus porosus in Lake Ira Lalaro, comprising several hundred individuals with sizes exceeding 3 m in total length (CRT, pers. obs.). Crocodiles are commonly reported from the swamps and swamp forests along the south coast of Timor-Leste, which is the area with the greatest frequency of reported crocodile attacks. Our limited observations on the status of crocodiles in Timor-Leste have been published elsewhere ( Kaiser et al. 2009).

Figures

Figure 30. Crocodylus porosus. Captive specimen in an enclosure in Aileu, Aileu District. Photo by Hinrich Kaiser.