Tiny NT crocodiles blocked from endangered status by genetic study
Pygmy crocodiles in Arnhem Land aren't genetically different enough to be their own species, a University of Sydney study found.
Deep in Arnhem Land's sandstone escarpments, pygmy crocodiles grow only half as long as their river cousins. Since the 1980s, scientists debated whether they were a separate species.
A new study published in Ecology and Evolution compared genetics across freshwater crocodile populations. The pygmy group wasn't genetically different enough to count as a separate species.
Pygmy crocodiles are what scientists call an ecological form. They adapted to isolated escarpments with small water pools and limited prey.
The largest pygmy crocodiles studied measured 1.07 to 1.18 metres long. Scientists say these adaptations are valuable and worth saving.
- more than 100 kilometres
- Distance up Liverpool River
- 1.07 to 1.18 metres
- Pygmy crocodile length
- 1980s
- First reported in Western science
- Ecology and Evolution
- Published in
Why it mattersSpecies status determines what legal protections an animal group can get and their conservation funding. Genetics directly shape what happens to these unique animals.
AustraliaNT's unique pygmy crocodile populations may struggle to gain formal protection through endangered species laws despite their isolation and small size.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 7 d ago
