Share A group of Russian tourists feed Cuban crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer) at the breeding centre of Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba, on June 14. AFP Dangerous dynamic: Amorous attraction imperils Cuban croc Thu, 29 July 2021 Being too coveted a mating partner can have its downside for a species faced with extinction, as the Cuban crocodile has learned. Arduous pursuit by its amorous American counterpart has seen survival of the island species, its numbers already dwindling, further threatened by hybridisation. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Cuban crocodile population has declined more than 80 per cent over three generations. Known to scientists as Crocodylus rhombifer, the black-and-yellow freshwater reptile is listed as a “critically endangered” species.