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Footage from Gabon’s Abanda Caves shows dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis) catching bats in an underground cave system. The behavior was captured directly for the first time in footage reported by Live Science; researchers already knew from diet analysis that these crocodiles ate bats.
What the footage shows—and what was already known
The animals are dwarf crocodiles living in the Abanda Caves in Gabon. They belong to a species generally associated with surface habitats such as forests, rivers and swamps, but this population uses caves. The Live Science report describes the filmed hunts as the first direct view of the crocodiles catching bats, not the first evidence that bats were part of their diet.
A 2016 study had identified bats and cave crickets among the prey of cave-caught crocodiles. Its authors reported that those crocodiles appeared to forage exclusively in the caves, while forest-caught crocodiles mostly ate freshwater crustaceans and insects. The study was preliminary, so these observations describe the animals sampled rather than proving that every cave or forest crocodile follows the same pattern.
Why the hunting had been hard to observe
According to the Live Science report, researchers had not been able to watch the crocodiles hunt when people were present in the caves. Conservation ecologist Matt Shirley, who told the publication he had worked with this population for almost 15 or 16 years, said: “I’ve been working with this population for almost 15 or 16 years now, and that’s something we’ve never been able to see.” The newly reported footage therefore adds a direct observation of capture behavior to the earlier dietary evidence.
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The report says the footage was made for National Geographic’s seven-part Africa: Earth’s Wild Home, in its “Jungle” episode. Live Science reported that the series premiered on National Geographic on 2 October 2026 and was due on Disney+ and Hulu the next day. Streaming availability can vary by country and change over time.
What the 2016 study found about cave and forest crocodiles
The study by Matthew H. Shirley, Brittany Burtner, Richard Oslisly and Olivier Testa compared cave-caught and forest-caught dwarf crocodiles in Gabon. It appeared online on 28 September 2016 in the African Journal of Ecology as “Diet and body condition of cave-dwelling dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis, Cope 1861) in Gabon.”
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| Comparison | Finding reported in the study | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Prey | Cave-caught crocodiles had eaten bats and cave crickets; forest-caught crocodiles mostly ate freshwater crustaceans and insects. | The sampled groups had different recorded diets; the study described cave crocodiles as appearing to forage exclusively in caves. |
| Juvenile body condition | Juvenile cave crocodiles had significantly higher body condition than juvenile forest crocodiles. | This was a statistically significant result for juveniles in the study. |
| Adult body condition | The cave-versus-forest difference was not statistically significant. | The authors suggested the small sample size might help explain the result and called for more research. |
The body-condition findings do not establish that cave life makes all crocodiles healthier or that bats alone explain the juvenile difference. The authors characterized the work as preliminary and called for further study of ecological isolation and its possible evolutionary implications.
Is this a new species?
No. The Live Science report describes the cave population as genetically isolated, but it remains part of the broader dwarf crocodile species, Osteolaemus tetraspis. Isolation may make the population scientifically interesting, but the available reporting does not establish it as a formally recognized new species or settle what it may become over time.
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What is known about conservation?
Live Science reported in 2026 that dwarf crocodiles were listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, while noting that the assessment was decades old and that their current status was uncertain. The same report said the Abanda Caves were outside protected areas and that Gabon was pursuing a specific reserve designation. Those statements are time-bound reporting, not confirmation here of a later Red List reassessment or the reserve’s present status.
Live Science reported that dwarf crocodiles grow to approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters). That is an approximate size for the species, not a measurement of the filmed animals.
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