THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF THE INDO-PACIFIC CROCODILE CROCODYLUS-POROSUS SCHNEIDER IN THE KLIAS RIVER, SABAH, EAST MALAYSIA

Twelve spotlight surveys for the Indo-Pacific crocodile Crocodylus por osus were carried out from June 1987 to July 1988 along an approximate ly 37-km stretch of the Klias River, Sabah, Malaysia. Crocodiles sight ed were divided into three size classes: Class 1 (hatchlings and juven iles <1 m in length; Class 2 (subadults and young adults 1-3 m in leng th; and Class 3 (eyes only', usually adults >3 m in length). Salinity and temperature readings were taken for each sighting and each locatio n was mapped A total of 182 crocodiles were sighted with densities in the range 1.1-3.6 km-1. Class 1 individuals were most frequently encou ntered (63.2%) followed by Class 3 (24.2%) and Class 2 (12.6%). Crocod iles were most abundant in the upper mangrove section of the river, wh ile the distributions of Class 1 and Class 2 individuals differed sign ificantly (t-test for non-paired samples, p less-than-or-equal-to 0.05 ) with regard to location along the river. There were no significant d ifferences in habitat salinity between classes although there were in water temperature (t-test for non-paired samples, p less-than-or-equal -to 0.05) between Classes 1 and 3, with smaller crocodiles more freque ntly sighted at temperatures from 30-31-degrees-C The population densi ties are higher than reported in 1984, but the structure reflects a po pulation under pressure from hunting.