Oldest croc at Dehiwala Zoo dies of old age

By Ifham Nizam

A crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer), one of the oldest reptile species at the National Zoological Gardens, died yesterday, due to old age, a Zoo official said.

Zoo’s Director General, Dr. Thilak Premakantha, told The Island that though there are plenty of crocodile species at the zoo, Cuban was the one and only one they had from Cuba.

He said the 65-year-old crocodile was received by the Zoological Gardens in 1970, when it was 13.

“The crocodile was handed over to the zoo by a local person who used to rear it at a house.

Crocodylus rhombifer is a small-medium species of crocodile endemic to Cuba.

The length is 2.1–2.3 m (6.9–7.5 ft) and the typical weight is 70–80 kg. A large male can reach as much as 3.5 m in length and weigh more than 215 kg.

Herpetologists said that despite its smaller size, it was a highly aggressive animal, and potentially dangerous to humans.