Endangered crocodile suffocates during mating in Amsterdam zoo

A very rare type of female crocodile in Amsterdam’s Artis zoo has died after a dominant male attempted to mate with her, local broadcaster RTV NH said on Wednesday.

The crocodile was a false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) and had been at the zoo since October as part of a captive breeding programme. A male and female of the species had not managed to reproduce, hence the decision to bring in a second female.

The false gharial is on the UN’S endangered list and fewer than 2,500 adults are thought to remain in the wild.

False gharial crocodiles grasp their partners by the snout when mating and the females accept this, RTV NH said. The couple then sink to the bottom of the water one or two times.

However, a post mortem examination of the dead female revealed she was covered with bite marks, including to her throat, and had eventually suffocated.

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