Siamese crocodile guarding nest (Photo: Agata Staniewicz)
Agata Staniewicz, who is now spending her 3rd research visit in East Kalimantan, has posted some exciting photos on her blog ‘Crocodiles in Mesangat Lake, news from the field’.
The critically endangered, adult female Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) shown on the photos was photographed during several days while guarding her nest on a floating mat of vegetation in the open freshwater swamp of Danau Mesangat in East Kalimantan – only a few km away from a working oil palm plantation. It is assumed that these are the first Indonesian photos of an adult Siamese crocodile guarding its nest.
Agata Staniewicz and her field assistants, local fishermen working with the field staff of Yayasan Ulin (Ironwood Foundation), will continue with observations and it is hoped that this ‘Mama Croc’ will be successful in protecting and hatching her eggs.
Siamese crocodile guarding nest during the day (Photo: Agata Staniewicz)
More information about the Siamese crocodile and its critical status can be found on the website of the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group.
The Mesangat wetland project is one of the six pre-selected projects of the EAZA IUCN SSC Southeast Asia Campaign.
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