FIGURE 9 in Systematic revision of the living African Slender-snouted Crocodiles (Mecistops Gray, 1844)

FIGURE 9. Photographic series of M. leptorhynchus illustrating variation seen in the color and pattern throughout this species distribution. Left to right, top to bottom: Dark individual from the Ruzizi Delta, Lake Tanganyika, DRC (1-1); close-up of the head of a standard colored individual from the N'dougou Lagoon, Gabon (1-2); high gold juvenile from the Echira River, Gabon (1-3); typical ventral coloration of M. leptorhynchus, N'dougou Lagoon, Gabon (2-1); typical flank scalation illustrating the comparatively less keeled and scaly appearance of M. leptorhynchus compared to M. cataphractus (2-2); abnormally blonde individual from the Mpassa River, Plateau Bateke, Gabon (2-3); high orange and black individual from the N'gowe River, Gabon (3-1, photo credit: J. Thorbjarnarson); typical nuchal scalation (3-2); hatchling crèche from the N'gowe River, Gabon (3-3).