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Risks to Myanmar’s last saltwater crocs point to coastal conservation needs

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With their tooth-packed jaws, dinosaur-slit eyes, and stealthy ability to emerge without warning through the surface of muddy-brown waters, saltwater crocodiles are indisputably one of the world’s most revered top predators. But despite their predatory prowess, the species is in decline in many parts of its range. In Myanmar, little was known about how many saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) remained, but scientists believed the species that once ranged across the country’s coastline had been devastated by a series of factors. Deforestation and conversion of coastal wetlands for agriculture and plantations, persecution following conflicts with people, and hunting and wild capture to supply demand for crocodile meat and skin products have all taken their toll. Now, a new study in Biological Conservation confirms that their numbers are indeed low. The findings, based on a combination of historical species distribution data, state-led croc counts, and new information from recent spotlighting and camera-trap surveys, indicate that the species is now confined to a single protected area in the Irrawaddy Delta called Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary, numbering between 50 and 85 individuals. “[This] small population [is] very vulnerable to any extreme events, [such as] tsunamis and storms … and to things like inbreeding depression,” study co-author Alice Hughes, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, told Mongabay. “So unless action is taken to widen their distribution, then the population cannot grow any more, it’s already likely near the carrying capacity.” In their study, Hughes and her colleagues identify key crocodile habitat areas…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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