West and Central Africa

There is one corner of Africa where the first rule of this book eases its grip. In the rainforest belt of West and Central Africa, the crocodile in the stream beside you is probably not the animal that kills people. Several distinct crocodiles, by current counts as many as five, share these forest rivers and swamps, and most of them are shy, small, and no danger to a grown person at all. Five of them. They are also, almost all of them, in deep trouble, sliding toward extinction while the world's attention stays fixed on their famous eastern cousin. This is the chapter for the forgotten crocodiles.

The sacred crocodile: Crocodylus suchus