Twenty West African dwarf crocodile hatched from eggs on Monday at the Planet Exotica zoological and botanical garden in Royan, southwestern France. /VCG Photo

Twenty West African dwarf crocodile hatched from eggs on Monday at the Planet Exotica zoological and botanical garden in Royan, southwestern France. /VCG Photo

Dwarf crocodiles start their lives inside small eggs buried in nests of warm, rotting vegetation. Females guard the nests for about three months until the eggs hatch. /VCG Photo

Dwarf crocodiles start their lives inside small eggs buried in nests of warm, rotting vegetation. Females guard the nests for about three months until the eggs hatch. /VCG Photo

Like other crocodilian species, the gender of West African dwarf crocodiles is influenced by egg incubation temperatures, with higher temperatures required for the development of males. /VCG Photo

Like other crocodilian species, the gender of West African dwarf crocodiles is influenced by egg incubation temperatures, with higher temperatures required for the development of males. /VCG Photo

One of the most diminutives of the Crocodilians, the species reaches approximately two meters in length. They are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. /VCG Photo

One of the most diminutives of the Crocodilians, the species reaches approximately two meters in length. They are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. /VCG Photo