Discovered crocodile extinction for nearly 40 years

Wild biologist Forrest Galante found a Caiman Rio Apaprois crocodile for the first time in decades of absence.

Caiman Rio Apaprois (Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis) , native to Colombia, has been thought to be extinct since the 1980s. With its unique long snout and pale yellow skin, they are easily distinguished from any any other crocodile in the world.

Wild biologist Forrest Galante with the newly discovered crocodile.

Hoping to rediscover this small Caiman crocodile, Forrest Galante, a wildlife biologist, led an expedition into the heart of the rainforest in Colombia, where no Westerner had ever set foot. came over the past 30 years controlled by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).

Thanks to experience, perseverance and careful planning, the expedition became the first to find Caiman Rio Apaprois alligators in nearly four decades."Not only one but a thriving community here, which is known to be inaccessible by Westerners," Galante said.

Biologists have collected some genetic samples from an individual living on the expedition. The analysis was conducted by the Tangled Bank Conservation Laboratory based in Asheville, USA, which confirmed that the specimen belonged to Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis.

The data Galante collected not only helped to "revive" the crocodile that seemed to have disappeared completely on Earth, but also provided many important additional information about the species. The documentary about the expedition's search for crocodile Caiman Rio Apaprois will be broadcast on science channel Animal Planet today, December 4.