The crocodile | Facts & Information

Origin

Crocodiles have descendants as far back as 240 million years ago. To date, 23 species of crocodiles are known.

All belong to the family Crocodylidae. The male crocodile can reach over three meters in length while the female rarely exceeds two meters. There are also some cases of giant crocodiles that can reach 5 or 6 meters in length (saltwater crocodile).

Both male and female live about 15 years. Crocodiles live in the tropical regions of Africa and Australia while alligators live only in South and North America.

I don't live in Europe at all.

Crocodile Feed

Crocodiles and related species are carnivores. The long jaw and the appearance of the girl seems to have a sadistic grin, suggests an aggressive and fierce comortance. Most people are terrified of crocodiles, although in fact their food depends on their size and the available prey around them.

At first The Crocodile cubs feed on insects, tadpoles, snails, fish, crayfish and shells. Because they grow very fast and can only capture small prey animals, they eat very often.

As they grow, they begin to capture larger prey and simultaneously increase the duration between two meals. First they catch larger fish and other reptiles, then gradually they begin to hunt and mammals. Grab any creature that gets in the way, be it monkey, buffalo, zebra, snake or even human. Many animals fall prey to crocodiles while quietly quenching their thirst on the waterfront. Crocodiles also consume Carrion, not only prey captured alive.

No matter how sharp and sharp the teeth of these animals are, they are still not suitable for crushing and devouring the flesh of prey. When a crocodile or alligator snatches a thirst-quenching animal on the shore, it usually catches it and tries to drag it into the water to drown it.

He often has to deposit his prey in a pit in the Queen until his skin softens and the flesh begins to decompose, because only then can he tear it with large bites. Sometimes the crocodile or alligator begins to roll into the water with prey in its mouth to snatch large pieces of meat from it.

He usually swallows the whole piece taken in his mouth. Often one prey serves as food for several crocodiles that devour it on the spot. Crocodiles caress fish in shallow water: they simply sharply close the snout or pierce them with their teeth.

They swallow the fish entirely, head first, lest their gills or bones scratch the fragile tissue of their pharynx. Most species of crocodiles swallow various things, stones, pieces of wood, along with prey. They probably help digestion that occurs quickly in the stomach.

Crocodile Features

The body of the crocodile is covered with bone plates, and the circulation system has retained some common characters with birds. Animals today live on the shores of flowing waters or lakes in warm tropical or subtropical regions.

Some species of crocodiles can still be found in the salt water of the seas around some islands. Animals are good swimmers, when hunting they are hidden under water up to the level of the eyes and nostrils.

The body shape of today's animals is adapted to the living environment in which they live, so the body is flattened dorsoventrally, and ends with a broad and muscular tail that helps in swimming or as a helm.

The mouth is wide provided with a strong dentition of a conical shape. Crocodiles have a body length depending on the species between 1.20 and 7 m in length. They were found by digging fossils of crocodiles that were 12 m long.

Animals grow all their lives, but with age the growth process becomes slower, so old crocodiles grow only a few centimeters.

The skull of crocodiles is elongated, the eyes during evolution have come to be arranged dorsally, at the tip of the muzzle there are wide oval orifices of the nostrils, which is are so connected with the pharynx that the animal and with its mouth full can repent without problems.

The snout of crocodiles has different lengths depending on the mode of feeding, so the Gavial that feeds on fish has a long and thin snout.

The nostrils and ear holes close in the water. The sight helps him detect food. The mouth is wide, and on the Jaws there are conical, uneven teeth, fixed in the hollows of the jaws called alveoli.

The body is flattened dorso-ventrally, covered with fleshy plates, doubled by bony plates, unsuddered to each other in the dorsal region. The tail is also compressed laterally. It has 5 free fingers in the forelimbs and 4 membrane-joined fingers in the hindlimbs.

They serve to move in water and on land. He goes out on land to rest.

Crocodiles hunt using the ambush method. They sit still and wait for the prey to come very close to them. Prey can be either fish or land animals that want to dig. Crocodiles also eat different species of manifers but also birds or even smaller crocodiles.

Crocodile Breeding

Four weeks after mating the female lays the eggs, and after three months of waiting the chicks take the first steps. The nests in which the eggs are laid are made on the banks of rivers, on beaches, close to the water for the chicks to be well protected from attackers.

The female uses all her energy to defend her young. The female lays between 30 and 60 eggs, then camouflages the nest. Spend a little time there so as not to attract the attention of predators who might eat the eggs.

After 3 months the female checks the nest. Chicks hatch from eggs. They are between 85 and 115 grams. They are victims of raccoons or other predators that can easily eat them when they hatch. In general, only 10% to 15% of puppies survive.

When they hatch the chicks have a food reserve for 4 months. To protect them at first the female often carries them in her mouth. At first the Cubs are clumsy in the water, but stay close to their mother. When they move away they can be in danger because they can be easy prey for animals in the river. They grow slowly, only 25-30 cm per year. At 3 years old they hunt small fish and insects, which become their main source of food.

At the age of 8 years they can already reach 2 meters in length. They feed on large fish, frogs, birds, snakes and even land animals that cross the river or that adapt on the river's edge. At this age they can also attack people. It attacks prey immediately after it has entered the water, following its instinct to attack.

The crocodile effectively tears the prey apart by twisting and then swallows the whole, unmixed pieces. If the river is crossed by a herd of antelopes, the chicks find it difficult to capture anything so they depend on the food they get from the prey obtained by the dominant crocodiles. People are afraid of them, and poachers, unfortunately, are looking for them to hunt them down.