{{Short description|Species of crocodile}} {{Speciesbox | name = Philippine crocodile |fossil_range = Late Pleistocene–Present, {{fossil_range|0.1|0|ref=<ref name="Rio2021">{{cite journal |last1=Rio |first1=J. P. |last2=Mannion |first2=P. D. |date=2021 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of a new morphological dataset elucidates the evolutionary history of Crocodylia and resolves the long-standing gharial problem |journal=PeerJ |volume=9 |article-number=e12094 |pmid=34567843 | doi=10.7717/peerj.12094 |pmc=8428266 |bibcode=2021PeerJ...912094R |doi-access=free}}</ref>}} | image = Crocodylus mindorensis by Gregg Yan 01.jpg | image_caption = An adult basking on the island of Palawan, Philippines | status = CR | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Crocodylus mindorensis'' |author=Van Weerd, M. |author-link=Merlijn van Weerd |author2=C. Pomaro, C. |author3=De Leon, J. |author4=Antolin, R. |author5=Mercado, V. |date=2016 |article-number=e.T5672A3048281 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T5672A3048281.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref> | genus = Crocodylus | species = mindorensis | authority = Schmidt, 1935 | range_map = distribution crocodylus mindorensis.PNG | range_map_caption = Range of the Philippine crocodile in blue }}
The '''Philippine crocodile''' ('''''Crocodylus''' '''mindorensis'''''), also known as the '''Mindoro crocodile''', the '''Philippine freshwater crocodile''', the '''''bukarot'''''<ref name="OliverosTelanVanWeerd2006">[http://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Dalu-11c95805.pdf "Crocodile Surveys - iucncsg.org"]</ref> in Ilocano, and more generally as a '''''buwaya''''' in most Filipino lowland cultures,<ref name="OliverosTelanVanWeerd2006"/> is endemic to the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.txtmania.com/trivia/only.php "Only in the Philippines - Endemic Animals in the Philippines"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806161457/http://www.txtmania.com/trivia/only.php |date=2017-08-06 }}. TxtMania.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref><ref>Ross, Charles A. [http://www.philippinecrocodile.com.ph/crocodile_status_in_ligawasan_marsh.html "Crocodile Status in Ligawasan Marsh"]. Philippine Crocodile. Retrieved on 2012-07-12.</ref> It has been listed as critically endangered since 2008 due to exploitation and unsustainable fishing methods,<ref>[http://www.crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_cmin.htm "Crocodilian Species - Philippine Crocodile (Crocdylus mindorensis)"]. Crocodilian Species List. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref> such as dynamite fishing.<ref>[http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/B/BPM_05one_Philipines_text.pdf "Wildlife Conservation in the Philippines"]. BP.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref> Conservation methods are being taken by the Dutch/Filipino Mabuwaya foundation,<ref name="cepf">[http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/news/in_focus/2007/january_feature.xml "Philippine Crocodile Comeback"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110171626/http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/news/in_focus/2007/january_feature.xml |date=2007-11-10 }}. cepf.net. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref> the Crocodile Conservation Society and the Zoological Institute of HerpaWorld in Mindoro island. It is strictly prohibited to kill a crocodile in the country, and it is punishable by law.
==Taxonomy== Until 1989, it was considered a subspecies of the New Guinea crocodile ''(Crocodylus novaeguineae)''.<ref name="Weerd">{{cite web |author=Van Weerd, M. |title=Philippine Crocodile (''Crocodylus mindorensis'') |url=http://www.iucncsg.org/content_images/attachments/species_descriptions/Philippine%20Crocodile.pdf|work=Crocodile Specialist Group}}</ref> They are now recognized as closely related but separate species.<ref>{{cite web |last =Britton |first =A. |title=New Guinea Crocodile |work=Crocodilians: Natural History & Conservation |date =January 2009|publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History |url=http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_cnov.htm |access-date=September 26, 2025}}</ref>
===Evolution=== The genus ''Crocodylus'' likely originated in Africa and radiated outwards towards Southeast Asia and the Americas,<ref name="Hekkala2021"/> although an Australia/Asia origin has also been considered.<ref name="Oaks2011">{{cite journal |author=Oaks, J. R. |year=2011 |title=A time-calibrated species tree of Crocodylia reveals a recent radiation of the true crocodiles |journal=Evolution |volume=65 |issue=11 |pages=3285–3297 |doi=10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01373.x |pmid=22023592 |bibcode=2011Evolu..65.3285O |s2cid=7254442 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Phylogenetic evidence supports ''Crocodylus'' diverging from its closest recent relative, the extinct ''Voay'' of Madagascar, around 25 million years ago, near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary.<ref name="Hekkala2021">{{cite journal|last1=Hekkala |first1=E. |last2=Gatesy |first2=J. |last3=Narechania |first3=A. |last4=Meredith |first4=R. |last5=Russello |first5=M. |last6=Aardema |first6=M. L. |last7=Jensen |first7=E. |last8=Montanari |first8=S. |last9=Brochu |first9=C. |last10=Norell |first10=M. |last11=Amato |first11=G. |date=2021 |title=Paleogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of the extinct Holocene "horned" crocodile of Madagascar, ''Voay robustus'' |journal=Communications Biology |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=505 |doi=10.1038/s42003-021-02017-0|pmid=33907305 |pmc=8079395 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
===Phylogeny=== Below is a cladogram based on a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data,<ref name="LeeYates2018">{{cite journal | author=Lee, M. S. Y. |author2=Yates, A. M. |date=2018 |title=Tip-dating and homoplasy: reconciling the shallow molecular divergences of modern gharials with their long fossil |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume=285 |issue=1881 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2018.1071 |pmid=30051855 |pmc=6030529 |doi-access=free}}</ref> as revised by the 2021 Hekkala ''et al.'' paleogenomics study using DNA extracted from the extinct ''Voay''.<ref name=Hekkala2021/> Hall's New Guinea crocodile placement suggested in 2023 study by Sales-Oliveira ''et al.''<ref name="Sales-Oliveira2023">{{cite journal |author=Sales-Oliveira, V. |author2=Altmanová, M. |author3=Gvoždík, V. |author4=Kretschmer, R. |author5=Ezaz, T. |author6= Liehr, T. |author7=Padutsch, N. |author8=Badjedjea G. |author9=Utsunomia, R. |author10=Tanomtong, A. |author11=Ciof, M. |title=Cross‑species chromosome painting and repetitive DNA mapping illuminate the karyotype evolution in true crocodiles (Crocodylidae) |journal=Chromosoma |volume=132 |year=2023 |issue=4 |pages=289–303 |doi=10.1007/s00412-023-00806-6 |pmid=37493806 }}</ref> {{clade |style=font-size:90%;line-height:85% |label1=''Crocodylus'' |1={{clade |grouplabel1=Indo-Pacific |bar1=black |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade|1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus johnstoni'' Freshwater crocodile }} }} }} |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus novaeguineae'' New Guinea crocodile }} |2={{clade|1=''Crocodylus halli'' Hall's New Guinea crocodile }} }} |2={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus mindorensis'' Philippine crocodile }} }} }} }} |2={{clade |1={{clade|1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus porosus'' Saltwater crocodile}} }} }} |2={{clade |1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus siamensis'' Siamese crocodile }} }} |2={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus palustris'' Mugger crocodile }} }} }} }} }} |2={{clade |grouplabel1={{clade labels |label1=Africa |top1=80%}} |bar1=black |1={{clade|1={{clade|1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus suchus'' West African crocodile }} }} }} }} |2={{clade |bar1=black |1={{clade|1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus niloticus'' Nile crocodile }} }} }} |2={{clade |grouplabel1={{clade labels |label1=Latin America|top1=180%}} |bar1=black |1={{clade|1={{clade|1=''Crocodylus rhombifer'' Cuban crocodile }} }} |bar2=black |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Crocodylus intermedius'' Orinoco crocodile |2=''Crocodylus acutus'' American crocodile }} |2={{clade|1=''Crocodylus moreletii'' Morelet's crocodile }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
==Characteristics== The Philippine crocodile is a crocodilian endemic to the Philippines. It is a relatively small, freshwater crocodile. It has a relatively broad snout and thick bony plates on its back (heavy dorsal armor). This is a fairly small species, reaching breeding maturity at {{cvt|1.5|m}} and {{cvt|15|kg}} in both sexes. A {{convert|69|kg|adj=on}} individual was found to have a bite force of {{cvt|2736|N|lk=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Erickson, G. M. |author2=Gignac, P. M. |author3=Steppan, S. J. |author4=Lappin, A. K. |author5=Vliet, K. A. |author6=Brueggen, J. A. |author7=Inouye, B. D. |author8=Kledzik, D. |author9=Webb, G. J. W. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=Insights into the ecology and evolutionary success of crocodilians revealed through bite-force and tooth-pressure experimentation |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=7 |issue=3 |article-number=e31781 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0031781 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...731781E |pmid=22431965 |pmc=3303775|doi-access=free}}</ref> Adults rarely exceed {{cvt|2.7|m}} and {{cvt|90|kg}}, and only the largest males attain record maximum size of up to {{cvt|3.5|m}}, perhaps reaching the maximum weight of {{cvt|210|kg}} in exceptional individuals.<ref name="Binan, Cruz and Mendoza">Michael Vincent F. Cruz, Alfonso G. Biñan, Jr. and Pedro G. Mendoza"].[https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Page-843dd0aa.pdf]. [https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Page-843dd0aa.pdf] IUCNSSC Crocodile Specialist Group.</ref> Females are slightly smaller than males. Philippine crocodiles are golden-brown in color, which darkens as they mature.
==Distribution and habitat==
The Philippine crocodile has been extirpated in Samar, Jolo, Negros, Masbate, and Busuanga. Populations still survive in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park within the Luzon rainforest, San Mariano, Isabela, Dalupiri Island in the Babuyan Islands, Abra in Luzon and the Ligawasan Marsh, Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Pulangi River in Bukidnon, Paghungawan Marsh in Siargao Island, and possibly in the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao.<ref name="Weerd"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Page-843dd0aa.pdf |title=Info |publisher=www.iucncsg.org |access-date=2020-01-02 |archive-date=2021-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924222048/https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Page-843dd0aa.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Proc-17f3b2b9.pdf |title=Manila Proceedings.indd |access-date=2020-01-02 |archive-date=2021-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922151735/https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/Proc-17f3b2b9.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Philippine crocodile wildlife populations that reside in these locations live geographically isolated from each other, which ultimately impacts their population level differentiation and decreases genetic diversity.<ref>Tabora. (2012). Detection of Crocodylus mindorensis x Crocodylus porosus (Crocodylidae) hybrids in a Philippine crocodile systematics analysis. ZOOTAXA, 3560, 1–31.</ref> It was historically found in parts of Visayas and until the numbers were drastically cut by, mainly, habitat destruction. These crocodiles eat ailing fish in a significantly higher proportion than healthy fish, thus improving the common health of the fish stock. By preying on the most common fish, they balance the fish population; any species which suddenly becomes dominant is put back in its proper proportion. Crocodile droppings are nutritious for the fish and contain critically important chemicals.
==Conservation status== thumb|left|A Philippine crocodile swimming stealthily
''Crocodylus mindorensis'' is considered to be the most severely threatened crocodile species in the world, listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.<ref name=iucn/> A population estimate of 100 non-hatchling individuals underlines the critical status of the species.<ref name="van Weerd 31–50">{{Cite journal|last1=Van Weerd|first1=M. |last2=Van der Ploeg|first2=J. |date=2004 |title=A new future for the Philippine crocodile, ''Crocodylus mindorensis'' |journal=Sylvatrop |volume=13 |pages=31–50 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235800476}}</ref> Since October 2021, ''C. mindorensis'' has been classified as Critically Depleted by the IUCN.<ref name="iucn green status 31 October 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Van Weerd, M. |author2=Gatan-Balbas, M. |date=2021 |title=''Crocodylus mindorensis (Green Status assessment)'' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T5672A567220213 |access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref>
The killing of crocodiles seems to be the major cause of the decreasing number of this species. In northeast Luzon, a community-based conservation approach developed under the Crocodile Rehabilitation Observance and Conservation (CROC) project was adopted with the aim of reaching sustainable co-habitation of crocodiles and local people.<ref name="van Weerd 31–50"/>
thumb|A juvenile In 2007, a specialist group was founded by several people within the Philippines, involved in crocodilian conservation. The Crocodile Conservation Society Philippines and the Zoological Institute of HerpaWorld are working on conservation breeding and release programs. ''C. mindorensis'' was considered locally extinct in part of its former range in northern Luzon until a live specimen was caught in San Mariano, Isabela, in 1999. That individual, nicknamed "Isabela" by its captors, was given to the care of the Crocodile Rehabilitation Observance and Conservation until it was released in August 2007. The specimen was 1.6 m long at the time of its release.<ref name="Inq20070825">{{cite news |last =Burgonio |first =T.J. | title ='Isabela,' the croc, to be freed in wilds | work=Inquirer.net |date=2007 | url =http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=84577 | access-date =2007-09-02 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070902040807/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=84577 | archive-date=2007-09-02}}</ref>
The Philippine crocodile became nationally protected by law in 2001 with the enactment of Republic Act 9147 known as the Wildlife Act. It is punishable to kill a crocodile, with a maximum penalty of ₱100,000 (equivalent to about $2,500).<ref name="Weerd"/> The Philippine Senate introduced resolution no. 790 on May 31, 2012, to further strengthen and augment existing laws for the protection of the Philippine crocodile and the saltwater crocodile.<ref>(2012-05-31). [http://www.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1340011258!.pdf "Senate P.S.R. 790"]. Senate of the Philippines 15th Congress. Retrieved on 2012-07-16.</ref>
===Media=== This crocodile was featured in National Geographic's ''Dangerous Encounters'' hosted by crocodile specialist Dr. Brady Barr. In one of the episodes, Barr sought to be the first person to see all species of crocodiles in the world. Fortunately, he was able to see a Philippine crocodile that was about two weeks old.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071013135421/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/video/index.html?bcpid=192889067&bctid=193718847 National Geographic Channel Videos - Adventure Shows, Natural History & More] channel. National Geographic. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.</ref>
The hatching of a Philippine crocodile was recorded in GMA News ''Born to Be Wild''. They also recorded that tropical fire ants, an invasive species, eat unhatched endangered ''bukarot'' eggs. The media team saved a nest from a fire ant attack. Also recorded were adult Philippine crocodiles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Rm86ZoZj4|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/26Rm86ZoZj4|archive-date=2021-12-19|url-status=live|title=Born to Be Wild: Actual hatching of a Philippine crocodile|publisher=YouTube|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2020-01-02}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
==Common names== Aside from the general term ''buwaya'' or ''buaya'' (which generally apply to ''C. porosus'' but can also apply to ''C. mindorensis'' in languages where the two species are not differentiated), they were known by various names throughout the islands. In Spanish colonial records, the two species were often differentiated as ''cocodrilo'' (for ''C. porosus'') and ''caimán'' for (for ''C. mindorensis''), but this distinction is not followed by English dictionaries and translations.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
In northern Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and the Sierra Madre mountain range, they were known as ''bukarot'' or ''bokarot'' in Ilocano, Isneg, Ibanag, and Yogad; ''lamag'' in Itawis, Yogad, Dupaningan Agta, and Kalinga; and ''lamig'' in Gaddang.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
In southern Luzon and the central islands of the Philippines, they were known also known as ''tigbin'' in Tagalog; ''barangitaw'' in Bikol, Mangyan, and Eastern Visayas; ''balanghitao'' or ''balangita'' in Cebuano and Central Visayan languages; and also ''burangas'' or ''burangaris'' in Mangyan.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
In Mindanao and Palawan, they are known as ''nguso'' in Agusan Manobo; ''sapding'' in Mandaya; ''balangitao'' or ''dagorogan'' in Maranao; ''bungut'' in Batak; and ''bungot'' in Tagbanwa.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
==Mythology, folklore, and cultural significance== {{See also|Anito|Crocodile (politics)}}
In the pre-colonial ''anito'' beliefs throughout the Philippine islands, crocodiles (both ''C. mindorensis'' and ''C. porosus'') were feared and revered, which played a key role in their survival up until modern times. The Spaniards recorded that rivers and lakes were filled with crocodiles, and people often lived and fished close to them, which alarmed most European observers. Some communities put up small bamboo fences to keep crocodiles out from certain areas and people avoided provoking them, but in general, they did not take many specific precautions against them. There was an unspoken "peace pact" between crocodiles and people. There were very strict taboos against killing crocodiles or eating crocodile meat. Crocodiles which attack or kill a person are always killed by the community.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
It was widely believed that crocodiles never attacked people arbitrarily. Thus attacks by crocodiles were regarded with fatalistic attitudes, as being the fault of the victim for transgressing taboos, or as punishment by the spirits for breaking an oath. The Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi records in 1571 that his treaties with Sulayman, Ache, and Lakandula of Manila and Tondo were sworn on the condition that they would die and be eaten by crocodiles if they break the agreements. Regardless, being eaten by a crocodile was regarded as an honorable death, as it ensured that the soul of the person would be safely transported to the spirit world by the crocodile via the rainbow.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
Crocodiles regarded with superstition can be generally divided into three kinds: crocodiles which are reincarnations of ancestors (''anito''), embodiments of powerful nature spirits (''diwata''), or shapeshifted malevolent spirits or witches (''aswang''). Not all crocodiles are seen as personifications of these three, but crocodiles with extraordinary traits, like being very large, being uncharacteristically docile, having strange coloration, being crippled or having visible birth defects, are often regarded as such. In several creation myths of the islands, the creator deity is a crocodile, and crocodiles were often seen as guardians of the spirit world (where the dead go) and psychopomps who lead the spirits of the dead safely. Crocodiles were also believed to also exist in a sort of parallel spirit world, often interpreted as an underwater village. Several ethnic groups also consider crocodiles to be their direct ancestors, and ''datu'' and warriors often traced their lineage to crocodiles. Crocodiles were also often addressed with kinship titles like ''nono'' ("grandfather").<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
Depictions of crocodiles were commonly carved into coffins or woven into funeral clothes to protect the spirit of the deceased. Crocodile teeth were also commonly worn as ''agimat'' (amulets) for protection against disease and evil spirits.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg"/>
In modern Filipino culture, crocodiles are perceived negatively. They are regarded as vermin and a threat to small children and livestock. They are also associated with greed, deceit, corruption, and nepotism. The term ''buwaya'' is frequently used as an insult for corrupt politicians and government officials, moneylenders, and the police.<ref name="Van Der Ploeg">{{cite journal |last1=Van Der Ploeg |first1=Jan |last2=Van Weerd |first2=Merlijn |last3=Persoon |first3=Gerard A. |title=A Cultural History of Crocodiles in the Philippines: Towards a New Peace Pact? |journal=Environment and History |date=2011 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=229–264 |doi=10.3197/096734011X12997574043008 |jstor=41303508 |bibcode=2011EnHis..17..229V |issn=0967-3407}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Madarang |first=Catalina Ricci S. |date=2021-06-23 |title=Crocodiles are not hated creatures, symbols of corruption centuries ago. Here's why. |url=https://interaksyon.philstar.com/hobbies-interests/2021/06/23/194515/crocodiles-are-not-hated-creatures-symbols-corruption-centuries-ago-heres-why/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=Interaksyon |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} * [http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife2001/ryancrai/RPC_PhilippineCrocodile.htm Philippine Crocodile: WhoZoo] * [http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/csp_cmin.htm Crocodilian Species-Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071007174159/http://www.herpaworld.com/index.php?action=pz_tier_det&id_art=27&topic=Crocodilians "''Crocodylus mindorensis'' - HerpaWorld"] {{Refend}}
==External links== * Mabuwaya Foundation <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mabuwaya.org/index.cfm?p=1E8F0AAB-0715-7006-94BF1EB926296D04|title=Mabuwaya - Home|last=Weerd|first=Mabuwaya Foundation, Merlijn van|website=www.mabuwaya.org|access-date=2016-03-16}}</ref> * {{EOL}}
{{Crocodilia|C.}} {{Crocs}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q272402}}
Category:Crocodylidae Category:Endemic fauna of the Philippines Category:Reptiles of the Philippines Category:Fauna of Mindanao Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia Category:Reptiles described in 1935 Category:Crocodilians of Asia Category:Apex predators