Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodylia

Scientific Name: Osteolaemus tetraspis

Range: West and west central Africa including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroons, Gabon, Liberia and Angola

Habitat: Swamps and swamp forests; slow moving, calm bodies of water

Diet: Wild: Fish, frogs and crustaceans Zoo: Large mice or small rats once or twice a week depending upon appetite

Gestation: Incubation: 85-105 days

Litter: Clutch Size: 16-30 eggs

Description: A heavily armored, small crocodile which reaches a maximum length of 6.5 feet. They have a short snout, and the upper eyelid is almost completely ossified. This is a timid, slow moving, nocturnal animal which, as an adult is usually solitary. Although it usually feeds in water it apparently spends a lot of time on land, and it inhabits holes excavated in the banks of streams. Females are mound-nesters, constructing a nest that is approximately 5 feet in diameter. The eggs are laid early in the wet season. Newly laid eggs are semitransparent and a yellowish color. One day after laying they begin to exhibit a narrow white band which expands with time to give the whole egg a milky white appearance. Hatching may take up to a week after the first crack appears. Hatchlings are 8-12" long and weigh about 1 3/4 oz.