Title
Securing the last wild Siamese crocodile population in Indonesia: preliminary results of surveys at Lake Mesangat
Author(s)
Platt, Steven G.;As-singkily, Maslim ;McCaskill, Lonnie;Linkie, Matt
Published
2018
Publisher
Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter
Abstract
The Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is regarded as one of the most critically endangered crocodilians in the world (Simpson and Bezuijen 2010; IUCN 2012). Over the last 50 years, wild C. siamensis populations throughout Southeast Asia have been decimated by illegal hunting for skins and meat, wanton killing, Government-sponsored extermination programs, habitat loss, and over-collecting to stock commercial crocodile farms (Platt and Tri 2000; Platt et al. 2004; Simpson et al. 2006; Simpson and Bezuijen 2010; Kanwatanakid-Savini et al. 2012; Guérin 2013). Fewer than 1000 adult C. siamensis are now thought to survive in the wild, and most populations are small, fragmented, and of questionable reproductive viability (Simpson and Bezuijen 2010). Only 11% of the remaining C. siamensis habitat is encompassed with the national protected area systems of respective range countries (Ilhow et al. 2015).
Lake Mesangat in East Kalimantan Province (Borneo) harbors the only known extant population of C. siamensis in Indonesia, and the only population outside of mainland Southeast Asia (Cox et al. 1993; Ross et al. 1998; Cox 2004; Simpson and Bezuijen 2010; Stuebing et al. 2015). Siamese crocodiles in Kalimantan are considered a distinct Evolutionary Significant Unit that differs genetically from mainland conspecifics (Gratten 2003).
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.
![]()
Back
PUB24163