 the american crocodile (crocodylus acutus) is a species of crocodilian found in the neotropics. it is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the americas. populations occur from the atlantic and pacific coasts of southern mexico to south america as far as peru and venezuela. it also lives within many of the caribbean islands such as cuba, jamaica, hispaniola, grand cayman, greater antilles, and the west indies. within the united states, the american crocodile's distribution is limited to both puerto rico and the southern half of florida, though at least two have been found as far north as the tampa bay area."trappers catch crocodile in lake tarpon," tampa bay times, july 12, 2013 the current us population, estimated at 2,000, is a significant comeback from the few hundred in the 1970s. the habitat of the american crocodile consists largely of coastal areas. it is also found in river systems, but has a tendency to prefer some level of salinity, not just tolerance, resulting in the species congregating in brackish lakes, mangroves, lagoons, cays, and small islands. other crocodiles also have tolerance to salt water due to salt glands underneath the tongue, but the american crocodile is the only species other than the saltwater crocodile to commonly live and thrive in saltwater. they can be found on beaches and small island formations without any freshwater source, such as some of the many cays and islets across the bahamas and the caribbean. they are also found in hypersaline lakes, such as the lago enriquillo; one of the largest population known to exist. the american crocodile is on
Animals_described_in_1807 Crocodilians Crocodylidae IUCN_Red_List_vulnerable_species Marine_reptiles Megafauna_of_North_America Reptiles_of_Central_America Reptiles_of_Cuba Reptiles_of_Guatemala Reptiles_of_Haiti Reptiles_of_Mexico Reptiles_of_South_America Reptiles_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago Reptiles_of_the_Dominican_Republic Reptiles_of_the_United_States