The disappearing freshwater predator -- the Cuban crocodile

Crocodiles have always been at the top of the food chain in areas like freshwater wetlands. Though smaller than other large crocodiles, Cuban crocodiles are among the fastest crocodiles in the world, short-tempered and aggressive, and have fewer webbed toes, giving them explosive action. Cuban crocodiles are black and yellow with powerful jaws that can quickly crush prey. But they are best known for jumping out of the water to surprise small mammals on branches.

The cubanus crocodile has only a small distribution on earth, and with the deterioration of the ecological environment and people's killing of the Cubanus crocodile, many of them were forced to homeless, and eventually killed alive. Another reason for the disappearance of the Cubanus is the interbreeding of cubanus with American crocodiles. To scientists, the two species are morphologically, ecologically, and behaviorally distinct. Increased hybridization of the two species, through genetic erosion of each other, poses a risk for the more unusual Cuban species, which is a real concern for conservation-minded scientists