Scientists Found Two New Crocodile Species. They Were Hiding in Plain Sight.
created: May 1, 2025, 1 p.m. | updated: May 7, 2025, 9:11 p.m.
Scientists know of four New World crocodile species, but a new study highlights potential fifth and sixth additions to the reptilian family.
The two new crocodile species are each endemic to an island off the coast of the Yucatán—the tourist hotspot Cozumel and the atoll Banco Chinchorro.
Of the estimated 8.7 million animal species on Earth, only 1.2 million of them have been officially described, with around 18,000 new species being discovered every year.
However, a team of scientists from Canada, Mexico, and Panama claims they’ve discovered two previously unknown crocodile species off the Yucatán coast in a new study.
It’s likely that a descendent of New World crocodiles, Crocodylus checchiai, traversed the Atlantic aided in part by westward ocean currents.
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