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The usual, skeptical argument that Bigfoot doesn’t exist for lack of a verifiable specimen received another blow with the discovery of a new species of little crocodiles. It turns out our planet still has many hidden secrets.
The new species of orange Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) were first discovered in 2011 living in caves in the rainforests of Gabon – eating bats!
Explorers went in search of the crocodiles after locals reported seeing the reptiles inside the Abanda cave systems. While crawling through those dark tunnels, they quickly realized the tip off was accurate when they spotted little red eyes.
Apart from their orange color, these critters have the distinction of living in caves – a first in science as crocodiles typically live in the rivers.
But why would these crocs leave their usual habitat? Food, of course, and it comes in the form of large populations of cave bats. Whether plucking them from the cave walls or waiting for them to fall into the water, the orange snappers had a bountiful supply of food and decided to set up home there.
The cave network is substantial, and the explorers think there could be as many as fifty of these weird orange crocodiles living there. And their unique orange color, found mainly in older male animals, is still something of a mystery though one expert thought it might be something to do with the bat guano on the walls of the cave dying their skin!
