Conservation status

The population and conservation status for all 23 species of crocodilian vary greatly, with some species pushed to the brink of extinction and other species recovering from threats they were facing.

Status of crocodile populations

The population and conservation status of the world's alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials are given in the table below:

Species name	IUCN Red List Category	Est wild population
Chinese Alligator	Critically Endangered	Less than 200
American Alligator	Least Concern	Over 1,000,000
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman	Least Concern	Over 1,000,000
Schneider's Dwarf Caiman	Least Concern	Over 1,000,000
Yacaré Caiman	Least Concern	100,000 to 200,000
Spectacled Caiman	Least Concern	Over 1,000,000
Broad-snouted Caiman	Least Concern	250,000 to 500,000
Black Caiman	Least Concern	Up to 1,000,000
American Crocodile	Vulnerable	10,000 to 20,000
Slender-snouted Crocodile	Data Deficient	Less than 50,000
Orinoco Crocodile	Critically Endangered	250 to 1,500
Freshwater Crocodile	Least Concern	50,000 to 100,000
Philippine Crocodile	Critically Endangered	Less than 200
Morelet's Crocodile	Least Concern	10,000 to 20,000
Nile Crocodile	Least Concern	250,000 to 500,000
New Guinea Crocodile	Least Concern	50,000 to 100,000
Mugger Crocodile	Vulnerable	5,000 to 10,000
Saltwater Crocodile	Least Concern	200,000 to 300,000
Cuban Crocodile	Critically Endangered	3,000 to 6,000
Siamese Crocodile	Critically Endangered	Less than 5,000
West African Dwarf Crocodile	Vulnerable	25,000 to 100,000
Tomistoma	Endangered	Less than 2,500
Indian Gharial	Critically Endangered	Less than 200

References:

IUCN Red List (February, 2011) http://www.iucnredlist.org

FLMNH - Crocodile Species List (February, 2011) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/

Hope for the future

In 1971, when the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group began, all 23 species of crocodilian were endangered or threatened. By 1996, after 25 years of effort from this worldwide network of biologists, wildlife managers, government officials, independent researchers, and non-government representatives, only one-third of the species (8) remain endangered.

If Crocodiles of the World can support the work of organisations like the CSG, if only by creating public support for the conservation of crocodiles and raising awareness about the threats that these animals face, then we will have achieved our goal.