Two endangered Cuban crocodiles have hatched at the National Zoo in Washington. Scientists believe there are fewer than 6,000 Cuban crocs remaining in the wild in two small areas of Cuba.

Two Cuban crocodiles hatch at the National Zoo on July 6 and July 14, 2012. The crocodiles’ mother, Dorothy, is wild-born and is estimated to be 55 years old (while Dorothy is not an official Zoo name, this is a name the Zoo uses for training). She hadn’t laid eggs in many years, which made this year’s event a very pleasant surprise for the keepers at the Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center.

The two crocs born at the Zoo are part of the Species Survival Plan’s goal of maintaining a population that is genetically viable for the foreseeable future.

Cuban crocodiles have numerous interesting characteristics that set it apart from other crocodilians, such as its brighter adult colors, rougher, more ‘pebbled’ scales, and long, strong legs. The species is the most terrestrial of crocodiles, and also possibly the most intelligent.

A colony of this species at Gatorland, Florida has also exhibited what is strongly suspected to be pack-hunting behavior. Gatorland is a theme park and wildlife preserve in Orlando, Florida.

View National Zoo in a larger map

View National Zoo in a larger map

View National Zoo in a larger map

The National Zoo (Smithsonian National Zoological Park) — nationalzoo.si.edu

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