Researchers identify two new crocodile species
McGill University researchers, in collaboration with Mexican scientists, have discovered two previously unknown species of crocodiles, one living on the island of Cozumel and the other on the atoll of Banco Chinchorro, both off the Yucatán Peninsula.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions about the American crocodile (
Crocodylus acutus) and highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts, the researchers say.
Larsson and his team analyzed the genetic sequences of crocodile populations from Cozumel and Banco Chinchorro. Comparing these sequences to those of crocodiles across the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico's Pacific coast, they found striking levels of genetic differentiation, leading the researchers to conclude that these populations were not simply variants of
Crocodylus acutus. The two new species have not yet been named.
"These results were totally unexpected," former Larsson graduate student and lead author José Avila-Cervantes said. "We assumed
Crocodylus acutus was a single species ranging from Baja California to Venezuela and across the Caribbean. Our study is the first to extensively explore genomic and anatomical variation in these animals."
Researchers identify two new crocodile species
