These amazing crocodiles

These amazing crocodiles

The most highly organized
Crocodiles occupy a special position among modern reptiles. The peculiarities of the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems allow us to consider them the most highly organized of all living reptiles. Now on earth there are twenty-one species of crocodiles belonging to three families.

Relatives of dinosaurs and birds
Crocodiles are closer relatives of extinct dinosaurs, which survived by almost 60 million years, and modern birds than other reptiles of our time. The evolution of crocodiles, starting with the appearance of this group about 150 million years ago, went in the direction of increasing adaptation to the aquatic lifestyle and predation.

The largest predator

The largest land predator of all time was perhaps the alligator, whose fossil remains were discovered on the banks of the Amazon in rocks that are 8 million years old. According to estimates based on the length of the skull (1.5 m), in which 10-centimeter teeth were preserved, the total body length of this predator was 12 m, and the weight was about 18 tons, i.e. it was larger than the king of alligators - Tyrannosaurus rex. It was identified as a giant specimen of the species Purussaurus brasiliensis, smaller specimens of which were first found in 1892.

The biggest crocodile
...This saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), widespread in Asia and the Pacific. The length of the largest of them exceeds 7 m. The saltwater crocodile often swims into the ocean, where, along with sharks, it hunts swimmers near the coasts. 4-5-meter crocodiles hunt pigs, less often cows and horses. A large crocodile considers a person entering its hunting territory to be its rightful prey. Residents of certain regions of Asia, not without reason, consider him an inveterate cannibal. In India, it often happens that crocodiles snatch people from boats and often do this so quickly that people nearby hardly notice it.

There are no crocodiles in Greece

... but this did not stop the ancient Greeks from giving them the name “stone worm” (“kroko” - stone, and “dilo” - worm. Travelers observed from afar croodilians basking on stone placers, whose elongated bodies resemble giant worms.

Remains submerged
The crocodile has enviable patience: with only the slits of its eyes and nostrils out of the water, it can watch for its prey for hours. Usually, in this almost “flooded” position, it drifts several tens of miles from the coast, looking out for prey. At the moment the crocodile dives, its nostrils close with swollen edges, the ear openings are hermetically sealed by movable skin folds, and blood circulation in all organs except the brain and heart muscle is suspended. Typically, in the first 20 minutes of being at depth, the reptile uses up half of its total oxygen supply, and the remaining is utilized more economically over the next 100 minutes.

Can't stick out tongue

The crocodile cannot stick its tongue out of its mouth.

Maybe not eat for a whole year

A crocodile can eat nothing at all for a whole year.

Opens its mouth

When resting, the crocodile often opens its mouth to give its jaws a rest.

Complex heart and small brain

Due to the slowdown of the heart, the pulse of an animal underwater drops to very low values, however, the predator’s brain always receives a sufficient amount of blood, and its perception of the external environment remains normal.

Interestingly, although the crocodile's heart is recognized as the most complex heart on the planet, its brain is only the size of a walnut.

Lungs and circulatory system, like those of land animals

On the one hand, this is good: crocodiles spend a lot of time on land, on the other hand, perhaps not so much: after all, the crocodile also spends a lot of time in the water, even sleeping in the water, albeit on the surface. As soon as he begins to descend, he wakes up and floats up: he still cannot breathe under water, his breathing is not regulated.

Excellent swimmer

Crocodiles are excellent swimmers. To the west of Java, 1100 kilometers away, are the Cocos Islands - saltwater crocodiles manage to swim even to them.

High jump

The saltwater crocodile can jump out of the water to a height of two meters.

Able to climb trees

Sometimes crocodiles are able to climb trees.

Capable of galloping

For a long time it was believed that crocodiles on land were clumsy and cowardly, but this is not so. On the ground, crocodiles are able to gallop. They straighten their legs, raise their body relatively high above the ground and run quite quickly, in a special style, a kind of “crocodile gallop”, and young Nile crocodiles can reach speeds of up to 12 kilometers per hour.

Engage in single combat with lions
After all, an adult Nile crocodile weighs 14 times more than an adult man! He is quite capable of even dragging a buffalo under water. Crocodiles can offer fierce resistance even to lions when they move overland from shallow bodies of water to deep rivers. According to experts, on land, crocodiles most often defend themselves, but occasionally they can attack, always trying to drag the victim into the water.

Crocodiles fought with gladiators

In 58 BC, the Romans organized a fight between gladiators and crocodiles, since then such fights have become a popular spectacle, and crocodiles began to be brought to Rome. This is how Europeans became closely acquainted with these reptiles.

Who is stronger

Residents of the Madagascar port of Tamatave decided to find out who is stronger: a man or a crocodile? For about twenty years now, public races between humans and reptiles have been organized in Tamatave in the Pan-galan channel. The conditions of the fights are as follows: everyone catches a pair of young animals in the jungle - weighing no more than twenty kilograms - attaches floats to their backs to see where they are at the moment, then releases them into a water section of the canal pre-fenced with bars. After this, the daredevil climbs into the water himself, and a life-and-death battle ensues. Fortunately, they say, until now the winner has always been man.

The strongest bite

Alligators have the strongest bite compared to other known "biting" predators, such as hyenas, lions and dusky sharks, scientists from the University of Florida have found. A 4-meter American alligator weighing 332 kilograms bit a special measuring device with a force equivalent to the gravity of a 1063-kilogram object (the weight of a small truck). A large specimen at the St. Augustine crocodile farm (USA) bit with a force equivalent to weighing 1,480 kilograms. Alligators use such a powerful mouth filled with 80 teeth to catch and chew freshwater turtles, which have a particularly hard shell.

Trying to open the jaws of a crocodile while inside its mouth will require as much effort as lifting a small truck that has run over a person. The bite force of smaller crocodiles was found to be proportional to this, taking into account the difference in weight.

Wild alligators have stronger jaws
Scientists are going to measure the bite force of wild alligators living in the rivers and lakes of central Florida - they expect them to have stronger jaws than those living in captivity. Even a very old and already toothless crocodile is still deadly, its jaws slam shut with the force of several tons, grinding the body and bones of the victim. If the prey is small, the crocodile will swallow it whole. If the piece is too large, the old crocodile will call on one of his dozen girlfriends to help tear the prey into pieces.

Favorable temperature

The most favorable body temperature for life is Mississippi alligatorsAlligatormississippiensis 32-35°; Temperatures above 38° are lethal for this species. The lower threshold of activity is about 20°. On land, crocodiles often lie with their mouths wide open, which is apparently associated with thermoregulation: some heat loss occurs when water evaporates from the mucous membranes of the oral cavity.

Large crocodiles maintain a stable body temperature

Reptiles are characterized as cold-blooded animals, but this is not entirely accurate. Their body temperature is mainly determined by their environment, but in many cases they can regulate it and maintain it at a higher level if necessary. When it is necessary to increase their body temperature, reptiles usually bask in the sun, absorbing its heat through the entire surface of their skin. When they start to overheat, they tend to retreat into the shade. Some species are able to generate and retain heat within their own body tissues. Large reptiles can maintain a more stable body temperature because their massive bodies contain more heat and have thicker skin and fat layers.

Why does a crocodile have a long tail?

A powerful tail, as dangerous as the jaws, but with a greater radius of action, designed to usually kill fish, and sometimes knock down a buffalo. Old crocodiles sometimes break small boats into pieces with a blow of their tail, and each time one of the people in the boat becomes their prey.

Saltwater crocodiles are larger

Saltwater crocodiles are much larger and more aggressive than their freshwater relatives.

The smallest crocodile

This smooth-faced caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus). Its maximum length from northern South America is 1.5 m for males and 1.2 m for females.

Rely on smell and hearing
Aquatic reptiles (crocodiles, alligators, turtles) rely heavily on senses such as smell and hearing to track prey, find a mate, or detect the approach of an enemy. Their vision plays an auxiliary role and operates only at close range, visual images are blurry, and they lack the ability to focus on stationary objects for a long time.

Changes teeth

During its life, a crocodile can change its 60 teeth up to a hundred times.

Crocodiles don't drool
Having moved into the water, crocodiles lost their salivary glands, but since they eat prey in the water, this loss is insignificant.

Rhino eater

Crocodiles hunt at night. Fish is an essential component of the diet of all crocodiles, but crocodiles eat any prey they can handle. Therefore, the set of foods changes with age: various invertebrates - insects, crustaceans, mollusks, worms - serve as food for the young; larger animals hunt fish, amphibians, reptiles and aquatic birds. Adult crocodiles are able to cope with large mammals. There is a known case of the remains of a rhinoceros being found in the stomach of a Nile crocodile. Many species of crocodiles exhibit cannibalism - the devouring of smaller individuals by larger individuals.

Eat fresh meat
Although crocodiles sometimes eat carrion, in most cases they feed on fresh meat. Information that crocodiles bury their prey in holes and wait until the meat spoils is not confirmed. In captivity, crocodiles willingly eat meat, fish, small mammals and chicken eggs.

Several months may pass between meals

Very large reptiles do not require as much food to sustain themselves as mammals of the same size. Therefore, they are able to inhabit places that are not suitable for mammals, for example, deserts. This is an ideal place for reptiles as there is plenty of sun to warm them up and plenty of food to eat. Once fed, they can digest food while at rest. In some of the largest species, several months or even a whole year can pass between meals. Large mammals would not survive on this diet.

Crocodiles are talking
Eyewitnesses compare the alligator's voice to distant thunder or explosions used by poachers to kill fish with dynamite. As others join the first alligator, “heavy pulsating sounds begin to literally shake the swamp.

Most often, alligators talk in the spring, the male carries on a conversation with a female living on his territory, or with a male who has trespassed on someone else’s property.

Has a harem
The male has a harem of ten to twelve females. If the prey is too large, the crocodile will call on its females to help tear the prey into pieces.

Drought kills crocodile love

In 2004, Australia was unexpectedly deprived of monsoon rains, causing crocodiles to lose all their enviable sexual activity. In some individuals, sperm production stopped altogether. If the weather does not improve, crocodiles will temporarily lose their ability to reproduce. Well, if it rains, it will be worse for them than any Viagra.

Guarding the treasure

On the shore of a reservoir, the female builds a rather high mound of grass, algae and other plant material. Then she will make a hole in it and lay eggs there (usually there are from 20 to 60 of them). Then he will cover the hole with grass, level it and even compact the place a little. And the most difficult thing begins for the female: guarding her treasure. You have to watch for 60 - 70 days, and all this time the mother hardly sleeps and eats nothing, since she cannot move away and there is no food nearby. Only sometimes does she allow herself to step into the shadows, but so as not to lose sight of the “incubator”, or to plunge into the water. If it is very hot, the female, having taken a dip, quickly approaches a pile of grass and stops over it so that the drops flow onto the grass, moistening it. The mother does not leave caring for the offspring even after the eggs hatch; she keeps the cubs with her for a year and a half.

Egg tooth

All crocodile babies have an egg tooth - a process at the tip of the muzzle, with which they break the shell. Before they are born, the crocodiles make plaintive croaking sounds, and the mother immediately rushes to their aid. After that, she accompanies the kids to the pond and stays there with them. Alligators are usually not that ferocious, and on land they rarely attack. But at this time the female is very aggressive. photo from the site

How do crocodiles grow?

At birth, crocodiles weigh no more than 70-80 grams and are completely helpless. Despite careful protection of the nest, most of the eggs in it die. Young alligators that are born also die in large numbers: only 5% survive to adulthood. Crocodiles are destroyed by predators, monitor lizards, and their own relatives - crocodiles. Crocodiles grow quickly and continue to grow throughout their lives. Only after 20 - 30 years their growth slows down significantly. By a year and a half they already reach a meter in length. Now they are afraid of no one except humans, and they set off to look for places not yet inhabited by alligators.

Clean

Clean

If crocodiles live in ponds, they maintain exemplary order in them - they destroy unnecessary vegetation, remove excess dirt and silt from the bottom, picking it up with their snouts and throwing it ashore. If the pond becomes shallow, alligators dig deep holes and sit there. In this way, they help save many aquatic animals that would have had a bad time during such droughts and shallowing of water bodies.

Everyone has their own area

Crocodiles occupy a territory of 20 - 40 hectares and vigilantly guard it: males - from males, females - from females. Representatives of the other sex are allowed to cross the border of the territory. True, if the pond is small, either one adult alligator (female or male), or a female with a litter, or several young, not yet settled crocodiles live in it.

The lifespan of crocodiles and alligators in nature is short

The Mississippi alligator lives up to 5 years, the caiman - 4 years, the Nile crocodile - 8 years, and the gharial - 6 years.

How long do crocodiles live?

They live up to 80-100 years, but nowadays, due to the predatory extermination of crocodiles by humans, animals over 50 years old are rarely found in nature.

The oldest crocodile
It is certain that one missyAlligator mississippiensis lived 66 years. He was brought to the Adelaide Zoo, PC. South Australia, 5 June 1914 at the age of 2 years, and he lived until September 26, 1978.

The calmest alligator

Everything that is known about Chinese alligator (Alligatorsinensis), testifies to his harmless and calm disposition. This is an animal that is practically harmless to humans.

Crocodile from the Sahara

In the Sahara, a crocodile is known to live in an isolated stagnant body of water. Several species of fish are found in wells and drainage waters. The freshwater shrimp Cardina togoensis stuhlmanni lives in one of the springs, more than 1 thousand km away from the nearest river. This proves that large bodies of water previously existed in the great Sahara Desert.

Gharials are not dangerous

Ancient Indian tales describe attacks on people gharials (Gavialis gangeticus), although they are generally considered harmless to humans due to the structure of their muzzle: a long and narrow, bird-beak-like nose is ideally suited for eating fish. Perhaps their aggressiveness in this region was provoked by ancient customs of cremating the dead on the banks of rivers or sending bodies downstream.

Australia will reduce its crocodile population

The population number has grown over the past 30 years from 5 thousand to 70 thousand individuals. These reptiles, which can reach 5.5 meters in length and weigh up to 1 ton, cause serious damage to farmers. This problem is especially pressing in the Northern Territory of Australia, where crocodiles cause enormous damage, attacking cattle, dogs, and sometimes people. Experts report that in recent years, crocodiles have become less afraid of the noise of motor boats and are moving closer to farms, the newspaper writes.

Australia banned the hunting of saltwater crocodiles in 1969 because the animals were on the verge of extinction, but some farmers are now allowed to occasionally kill the larger reptiles.

The most dangerous crocodile

Only people can be considered hunters Nile (Crocodylus niloticus) And crested (Crocodylus porosus) crocodiles. 39 of the 43 crocodile attacks occurred between November and mid-April - a time when males guard the breeding territory from rivals and when males and females guard clutches and hatchlings. At this time of year, crocodiles are especially active also because the water of flooded rivers and lakes warms up and becomes muddy, and this helps crocodiles hunt. Noise and sounds made by humans do not frighten them

Usually the danger comes from male crocodiles guarding their territory. Attempts by females to attack a person who has violated the boundaries of their territory are not so aggressive and do not end in death. But an angry male can even attack a boat that has crossed the borders of his property. If he is not hungry, people usually manage to escape.

When people are related to crocodiles

In Madagascar, the Tsimiheti people, who live in the northwest of the island, consider the crocodile to be the most powerful creature in the world. The Antanusi, living in the south, until recently treated crocodiles as sacred animals. When a reptile drags a girl underwater who had been sitting by the river, local residents rejoice. They believed that the spirits of the tribal leaders lived in crocodiles. While the animal was tearing the girl apart, her relatives were celebrating their daughter’s wedding to an honorary ancestor. Killing a crocodile has always been the strictest fadi for the Malagasy. To kill a reptile means to destroy the soul of the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, as well as the soul of the father of the great-grandfather, grandfather of the great-grandfather, and so on until the beginning of the family.

Villagers come to the lake to try to discern the familiar features of their ancestors in the crocodile faces. Each reptile has its own name: Mbuti, Bakari, Kalu, that is, the names of long-standing relatives. Local Malgashians give their children the same names in order to cement the union of the living and the dead.

Lifespan of a crocodile

The average lifespan of a crocodile is up to 40 years, the maximum is 100 years.

Giant crocodile

The giant crocodile that lived in the Pleistocene had a body length of 15 m; he lived in different parts of the Earth.

Saltwater crocodile as a rescuer

A pensioner from Sri Lanka claims that during the terrible tsunami he was saved by an estuarine crocodile - the largest of all crocodile species, one of those that often visited his garden before the disaster. At the time of the tsunami, a man was walking in a garden through which a river flows into the sea, and was washed away by a huge wave. He saw, as it seemed to him at that moment, a log moving in his direction, and he clung to it with all his might. However, the man soon realized that he was holding on to a crocodile.
After seven hours spent in the water, the pensioner almost despaired when he suddenly felt that the crocodile pushed him in the stomach, “directed” him towards the shore and, in the end, “pushed” him to him.

Crocodile- a semi-aquatic predatory animal belonging to the class “Reptiles”. These reptiles are quite dangerous. It is not uncommon to hear reports of a crocodile attacking a person. Reptiles can reach more than 8 meters in length, and the weight of a crocodile can reach up to one ton!

In the modern world there are a large number of genera of crocodiles. Moreover, a significant number of reptiles became extinct many millennia ago. According to scientists, crocodiles are the most developed of modern reptile species. And from the point of view of the evolutionary process, reptiles are closest to dinosaurs and birds.

The report is devoted to a brief overview of the crocodile’s life, its appearance and way of life.

Appearance and features

The usual length of crocodiles varies from 2 to 5 meters depending on the species, although very large animals are also found. Mostly, crocodiles are in the water, resting or hunting. The lifestyle of reptiles influenced their appearance: a flattened, flat body, a flat head, short legs and a powerful, mobile tail, which crocodiles use when moving in water.

A characteristic feature of crocodiles is the strongest jaws in nature among animals and a large number of teeth (60 or more). Moreover, new teeth in reptiles can appear approximately three thousand times during their entire life. Interestingly, crocodiles' teeth are hollow, empty inside, and new teeth grow inside old ones.

The high level of organization of reptiles, as already mentioned at the beginning of the report, is confirmed by a more advanced circulatory system compared to other reptiles. The crocodile's heart has four chambers, two ventricles and two atria.

Crocodiles are cold-blooded animals, that is, their body temperature is completely dependent on the temperature of the environment. This is why reptiles prefer warm climates, and temperatures that are too low (below 20°C) or too high (38°C) are lethal for them. In such conditions, a crocodile simply will not survive.

Crocodiles are long-livers, they can live up to 100 years. This is also facilitated by the fact that animals have no natural enemies in nature.

Another feature of crocodiles is that they grow throughout their lives.

Habitats

Crocodiles love warm climates and warm water; animals do not live in cold water. Reptiles are quite common around the globe, they are found in Central and South America, near the Philippine Islands, Bali, India, Japan, Malaysia, the USA and other countries. Usually there is a tropical forest near the habitat of crocodiles.

Most crocodiles live in fresh water, although some can tolerate salt water (such as the Nile crocodile).

Lifestyle of crocodiles

Reptiles spend most of their time in the pond, periodically coming out onto land to bask in the sun. As a rule, crocodiles hunt at night and their diet consists of fish. However, a crocodile can attack other animals that it is able to cope with.

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Warm rivers and swampy ponds where crocodile and alligator live are avoided by local residents. Reptiles are very similar to each other, but the crocodile's muzzle is longer and thinner, and the fourth teeth are visible even if the mouth is closed. Below we will talk about these green predators, their habitat and interesting details of life. So, where and in what country do crocodiles live? What is their life expectancy? Can humans and crocodiles coexist peacefully?

Where does the crocodile live: habitat

The habitat of these reptiles, which have inhabited our planet for more than 200 million years, extends to all continents, excluding Antarctica. Any child, when asked: “Where does a crocodile live?”, will answer without hesitation: “In Africa!” Yes, the crocodile also lives in Africa.

There are varieties that are found in different countries and continents, and there are endemics - they inhabit one specific territory. For example, the Philippine crocodile lives only on the islands of the same name, while the saltwater saltwater crocodile can live in India, Indonesia, and Northern Australia.

The largest and smallest crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all representatives of this family. He loves salty rivers into which sea water flows. People try not to enter or swim in these places where crocodiles live. For example, there was a case when in Malaysia on the Duzon River a green monster snatched first a mother and then a child from a boat. Children and women most often become victims of these predators when swimming or washing clothes in rivers.

The largest specimen captured (but not killed) living in captivity on an Australian park farm is the saltwater crocodile Cassius Clay. It is 5.5 m long, weighs about 1 ton and is long-lived. Crocodiles live about 80-100 years and grow throughout their lives. Cassius lived to be more than 110 years old. He is loved very much, despite his bloodthirsty past, and is treated to a 20-kilogram chicken cake on his birthday. The reptile feasts on it for exactly... half a minute.

The smallest crocodiles are not so small. These are South American caimans, which are no more than 1.5 m in length. West African freshwater blunt-nosed crocodiles are approximately the same size.

A country where crocodiles live better than people

Scientists are confident that the crocodile population has such a long history solely because these reptiles have no enemies in the natural environment. The only mammal that a crocodile should be wary of is humans.

People are chasing profit in the form of handbags and other products made from the skin of these reptiles, and poaching is rampant in the areas where crocodiles live. This is gradually leading to some species being declared endangered. For example, the habitat of the Siamese crocodile has been reduced to Thailand and Cambodia, and in Vietnam and on the island of Borneo they have not been found for many years.

The famous farm in Pattaya, where crocodiles live in artificial conditions and are raised for commercial purposes, attracts many tourists. Crocodiles are used in show programs, and you can buy a purse (about 3,000 baht) or a belt (about 2,000 baht) made from reptile skin.

A completely different situation is observed in Africa (Tunisia, the island of Djerba), where in the Explorer Park travelers can observe the life of crocodiles from comfortable bridges in conditions as close as possible to natural ones. Surprisingly, on a continent where most countries are on the verge of poverty, people unselfishly care about those who could make a profit at the cost of their own lives. Of course, tourists do not visit the park for free, but the cost of an entrance ticket and a crocodile skin handbag is incomparable.

The life of Nile crocodiles (the largest in Explorer Park reach 5 m) is not too different from their existence in natural conditions. In Tunisia they are fed meat; in winter, at a temperature of +10-15 0 C, they are transferred to heated indoor spaces. Females lay eggs in specially designated areas, and young crocodiles are kept separately from adults to prevent cannibalism.

How are crocodiles similar to birds and dogs?

The anatomical structure of the crocodile is perfect from the point of view of hunting. His eyes are endowed with a third eyelid, which allows him to see perfectly under water and in the dark. For a long time before an attack, crocodiles lie motionless closer to the sunny surface of the water to better warm up the blood before jumping. The powerful head and tail allow you to stun the victim and break the spine in one blow.

With his tenacious teeth, he takes the prey to his storage and “marinates” for some time, then swallows it without chewing. An interesting fact: in those parts of the Ganges where the crocodile lives, the reptile’s “storerooms” often contain the bodies of the dead, whom Hindus send into the waters of the sacred river during a funeral ceremony.

To better digest and move food through the intestines, these reptiles swallow stones, like birds. True, the size and weight of the stones are somewhat different, sometimes about 5 kg. Having had enough, the crocodile rests and cools down. To do this, like a dog, he opens his mouth. Some researchers claim that crocodiles can live without food for almost a year.

Friendship between people and crocodiles

Zoologists believe that friendship between people and green reptiles is impossible, and it should not be allowed because the outcome will still not be in favor of humans. However, there is evidence of a fisherman from Costa Rica who recovered a five-meter dying crocodile wounded by a hunter. The man temporarily settled him in his pond, literally hand-fed him.

The fisherman released the healthy alligator into the river, but the grateful reptile began to return. The friendship lasted until the natural death of the crocodile.

There was a time in China when people caught crocodiles and chained them outside their houses, like dogs. The alligator was fed and watered, and he guarded the master's property. True, as a result, the Chinese... ate a crocodile grown to a decent size.

The crocodile is a semi-aquatic vertebrate wild animal, belongs to the phylum chordata, class reptiles, order crocodiles (Crocodilia).

The predator got its Russian name from the Greek word “crocodilos,” literally meaning “pebble worm.” Most likely, this is what the Greeks called the reptile, whose lumpy skin looks like a pebble, and whose long body and characteristic body movements resemble a worm.

In sea water, the crocodile feeds on fish, dolphins, turtles, sawfish rays and even sharks, including white sharks, the size of which is not inferior to, and often exceeds, the attacking crocodile in length. The menu consisting of mammals is especially varied.

A successful hunt brings the crocodile a python, monitor lizard, wild boar, antelope, buffalo or deer for dinner.

Often hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and lions become prey for crocodile. Crocodiles also eat monkeys, porcupines, kangaroos, hares, raccoons, martens and mongooses. If given the opportunity to have a snack, they will not hesitate to attack any domestic animal, be it chicken, horse or cattle.

Some crocodiles eat each other, that is, they do not hesitate to attack their own kind.

How does a crocodile hunt?

Crocodiles spend most of the day in the water, and hunt only after dark. The reptile swallows small prey whole. In a duel with a large prey, the crocodile's weapon is brute force. Large land animals, such as deer and buffalo, are guarded by a crocodile at a watering hole, attacked suddenly and dragged into the water, where the victim is unable to resist. Large fish, on the contrary, are dragged into shallow water, where it is easier to deal with prey.

The massive jaws of a crocodile easily crush a buffalo’s skull, and strong jerks of the head and a special “deadly rotation” technique instantly tear the prey apart. Crocodiles do not know how to chew, therefore, having killed the victim, they twist out pieces of suitable flesh with their powerful jaws and swallow them whole.

Crocodiles eat quite a lot: one lunch can account for up to 23% of the mass of the predator itself. Often crocodiles hide part of the prey, but the supply does not always remain intact, and is often consumed by other predators.

• The crocodile belongs to the crocodile family, the alligator belongs to the alligator family. Moreover, both reptiles belong to the order crocodiles.
• The main difference between a crocodile and an alligator is the structure of the jaw and the arrangement of the teeth. When the crocodile's mouth is closed, one or a pair of teeth on the lower jaw always stick out, while the alligator's upper jaw is completely covered by a predatory grin.

• Also, the difference between a crocodile and an alligator lies in the structure of the muzzle. The crocodile's muzzle is pointed and has the shape of the English letter V, while the alligator's muzzle is blunt and more reminiscent of the letter U.

• Crocodiles have salt glands in the tongue and lacrimal glands in the eyes to remove excess salts from the body, so they can live in the sea. Alligators do not have such glands, so they mainly live in fresh water bodies.
• If you compare the size of a crocodile and an alligator, it is difficult to say which reptile is larger. The average length of an alligator does not exceed the average length of a crocodile. But if we compare the largest individuals, the American (Mississippi) alligator has a maximum body length of no more than 4.5 meters (according to unofficial data, the only maximum recorded length of one individual was 5.8 meters). And the world's largest saltwater crocodile, with an average body length of 5.2 meters, can grow up to 7 meters in length.
• The average weight of a Mississippi alligator (it is larger than a Chinese one) is 200 kg, with the maximum recorded weight reaching 626 kg. The average weight of a crocodile depends on the species. Yet some species of crocodiles weigh much more than alligators. For example, the weight of a sharp-snouted crocodile reaches 1 ton, and the world's largest saltwater crocodile weighs about 2 tons.

What is the difference between a crocodile and a gharial?

• Both the crocodile and the gharial belong to the order Crocodiles. But the crocodile is part of the crocodile family, and the gharial belongs to the gharial family.
• The crocodile has salt glands located on the tongue and special lacrimal glands in the eye area: through them, excess salts are removed from the crocodile's body. This factor allows the crocodile to live in salty sea water. The gharial does not possess such glands, therefore it is a resident of absolutely fresh water bodies.
• It is easy to distinguish a crocodile from a gharial by the shape of its jaws: the gharial has rather narrow jaws, which is justified by hunting only fish. The crocodile has wider jaws.

• The gharial has more teeth than the crocodile, but they are much smaller and thinner: the gharial needs such sharp and thin teeth to tenaciously hold caught fish in its mouth. Depending on the species, a crocodile has 66 or 68 teeth, but the gharial can boast of having hundreds of sharp teeth.

• Another difference between a crocodile and a gharial: of the entire family of crocodiles, only the gharial spends the maximum time in the water, leaving the reservoir only to lay eggs and to bask a little in the sun. The crocodile spends about a third of its life in bodies of water, preferring water over land.
• Crocodiles and gharials differ very slightly in size. Male gharials usually have a body length of 3-4.5 meters, rarely reaching 5.5 meters in length. Crocodiles are not far behind their counterparts - the length of an adult male varies between 2-5.5 meters. And yet, seasoned males of some species of crocodiles often reach 7 meters in length. In terms of weight, crocodiles win this round: the saltwater crocodile can reach a mass of 2000 kg, and the Gangetic gharial has a modest weight of 180-200 kg.

What is the difference between a crocodile and a caiman?

• Although crocodiles and caimans belong to the order Crocodilia, caimans belong to the alligator family and crocodiles belong to the crocodilian family.
• The external differences between a crocodile and a caiman are as follows: crocodiles are distinguished by a pointed V-shaped snout, caimans are distinguished by a blunt and wide U-shaped muzzle.
• Another difference between reptiles is that crocodiles have special salt glands on their tongues. Through them, as well as through the lacrimal glands, crocodiles get rid of excess salts, so they feel equally good in both fresh and salt water. Caimans do not have this feature, therefore, with rare exceptions, they live only in clean fresh water bodies.

Types of crocodiles: names, descriptions, list and photos

Modern classification divides the order of crocodiles into 3 families, 8 genera and 24 species.

Family of real crocodiles(Crocodylidae). Some of its varieties are of particular interest:

• Saltwater crocodile (saltwater crocodile)(Crocodylus porosus)

The largest crocodile in the world, a mega-predator firmly established at the top of the food chain. Other names for this reptile are submarine crocodile, man-eating crocodile, salty, estuarine and Indo-Pacific crocodile. The length of a saltwater crocodile can reach 7 meters and weigh up to 2 tons. The species got its name thanks to 2 massive bony ridges running along the snout from the edge of the eyes. The appearance of the crocodile is dominated by pale yellow-brown colors, and dark stripes and spots are visible on the body and tail. The salt water lover is a typical inhabitant of rivers flowing into the ocean, and also lives in sea lagoons. Saltwater crocodiles often live in the open sea and are found on the northern Australian coast, in Indonesia, the Philippines, India and off the coast of Japan. Crocodiles' food is any prey that a predator can catch. These can be large land animals: buffalos, leopards, grizzlies, antelopes, pythons, monitor lizards. The crocodile also often preys on medium-sized mammals: wild boars, tapirs, dingoes, kangaroos, and many species of monkeys, including orangutans. Domestic animals can also become prey: goats, sheep, horses, pigs, dogs and cats. Of the birds, the combed crocodile catches mainly waterfowl species, as well as sea and freshwater turtles, dolphins, stingrays and many types of sharks. Baby crocodile feed on aquatic invertebrates, frogs, insects and small fish. Older individuals freely eat poisonous cane toads, large fish and crustaceans. Saltwater crocodiles practice cannibalism on occasion, never missing the opportunity to eat small or weak representatives of their species.

• Blunt crocodile(Osteolaemus tetraspis)

this is the smallest crocodile in the world. The body length of an adult is only 1.5 meters. The male weighs about 80 kg, the female crocodiles weighs about 30-35 kg. The color of the reptile's back is black, its belly is yellow, with black spots. Unlike other types of crocodiles, the reptile has skin well armored with hard plates-growths, which compensates for the lack of growth. Blunt-snouted crocodiles live in fresh water bodies of West Africa, shy and secretive, and lead a nocturnal lifestyle. They feed on fish, snails and carrion.

• Nile crocodile(Crocodylus niloticus)

the largest reptile of the family after the saltwater crocodile, lives in Africa. The average body length of males is from 4.5 to 5.5 meters, and the weight of a male crocodile reaches almost 1 ton. The color of the crocodile is gray or light brown, with dark stripes on the back and tail. The reptile is one of 3 species that live in African countries and have no equal in the water element. Even on land, conflicts over prey, such as with lions, involve a tug-of-war, with the crocodile still emerging victorious. The Nile crocodile is a typical inhabitant of rivers, lakes and swamps located south of the Sahara Desert, including the Nile River basin. The Nile crocodile feeds on fish: Nile perch, tilapia, black mullet, African pike and numerous representatives of cyprinids. And also mammals: antelopes, waterbucks, gazelles, oryx, warthogs, chimpanzees and gorillas. Often all types of domesticated animals become prey for the crocodile. Particularly large individuals attack buffalos, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses and young African elephants. Young Nile crocodiles eat amphibians: the African toad, the changeable reed frog and the goliath frog. The young feed on insects (crickets, grasshoppers), crabs and other invertebrates.

• Siamese crocodile(Crocodylus siamensis)

has a body up to 3-4 m long. The color of the crocodile is olive green, sometimes dark green. The weight of a male reaches 350 kg, the weight of females is 150 kg. This species of crocodiles is listed in the Red Book as endangered. Today the population numbers no more than 5 thousand individuals. The species' range extends through the countries of southeast Asia: Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and is also found on the island of Kalimantan. The main source of food for Siamese crocodiles are various types of fish, amphibians, and small reptiles. In rare cases, the crocodile feeds on rodents and carrion.

• Sharp-snouted crocodile(Crocodylus acutus)

the most common member of the family. The species is distinguished by a narrow, characteristically pointed snout. Adult males grow up to 4 m in length, females up to 3 m. The weight of a crocodile is 500-1000 kg. The color of the crocodile is grayish or greenish-brown. Crocodiles live in swampy areas, rivers, and fresh and salt lakes in North and South America. Sharp-snouted crocodiles eat most types of freshwater and saltwater fish. A significant part of the diet consists of birds: pelicans, flamingos, herons, storks. At regular intervals, crocodiles eat sea turtles and livestock. Young reptiles feed on crabs, snails, as well as insects and their larvae.

• Australian narrow-snoutedcrocodile ( Crocodylus johnstoni)

is a freshwater reptile and is small in size: males grow no more than 3 meters in length, females up to 2 meters. The animal has an uncharacteristically narrow muzzle for a crocodile. The color of the reptile is brown with black stripes on the crocodile's back and tail. A population of about 100 thousand individuals inhabits freshwater bodies of northern Australia. The Australian narrow-snouted crocodile feeds primarily on fish. A small portion of the adult diet consists of amphibians, waterfowl, snakes, lizards and small mammals.

Alligator family(Alligatoridae), in which the subfamily alligators and the subfamily caimans are distinguished. This family includes the following varieties:

• Mississippi alligator (American alligator) (Alligator mississippiensis)

a large reptile (reptile), the males of which grow up to 4.5 m in length with a body weight of about 200 kg. Unlike the crocodile, the American alligator can withstand the cold and can hibernate by freezing its body into the ice and leaving only its nostrils on the surface. These alligators live in fresh water bodies of North America: dams, swamps, rivers and lakes. The Mississippi (American) alligator, unlike crocodiles, rarely attacks large animals. Adult alligators feed on fish, waterfowl, water snakes and turtles, and among mammals they eat nutria, muskrats and raccoons. Baby alligators eat worms, spiders, snails, and insects and their larvae. Some alligators do not have enough melanin pigment and are albino. True, a white crocodile is rarely found in nature.

White crocodile (albino)

• Chinese alligator ( Alligator sinensis)

a small species of alligator, which is also a rare species. Only 200 individuals live in nature. The color of the alligator is yellow-gray, there are black spots on the lower jaw. The average length of an alligator is 1.5 meters, the maximum reaches 2.2 meters. The weight of the predator is 35-45 kg. Alligators live in China, in the Yangtze River basin. They feed on small birds and mammals, fish, snakes, and mollusks.

• Crocodile (spectacled) caiman(Caiman crocodilus)

a relatively small alligator with a body length of up to 1.8-2 m and a weight of up to 60 kg. This species of crocodile is distinguished by a narrow snout and a characteristic bony growth between the eyes, shaped like glasses. The small caiman has a yellow body color with black spots; the adult crocodile has olive green skin. The reptile has the widest range of all alligators. The caiman lives in low-lying, stagnant bodies of fresh or salt water from Mexico and Guatemala to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Due to its small size, the caiman feeds on mollusks, small fish, freshwater crabs, as well as small reptiles and mammals. Seasoned individuals occasionally attack large amphibians and snakes, such as anaconda, as well as wild boars and even other caimans.

• Black caiman(Melanosuchus niger)

one of the largest reptiles. The body length of a mature male can exceed 5.5 m, and the body weight can be more than 500 kg. A pronounced bony ridge, typical of all caimans, runs from the eyes along the entire length of the muzzle. The modern population, consisting of approximately 100 thousand individuals, lives in large rivers and lakes in South America. Adult black caimans eat large quantities of fish, including piranhas, as well as turtles and snakes. But the main part of the food is mammals: deer, capybaras, peccaries, coatis, sloths, monkeys, armadillos, river dolphins, Brazilian otters. In certain areas of the range, the usual food of reptiles is various domestic animals, including cattle. Young caimans feed on snails, frogs and small fish species.

Gharial family(Gavialidae) consists of several genera and only 2 modern species:

• Gangetic gharial(Gavialis gangeticus)

a large representative of the order with a body growing up to 6 meters in length. Gharials, unlike real crocodiles, have a lighter constitution, so the weight of an adult individual generally does not exceed 200 kg. Gharials are distinguished by a characteristically narrow jaw shape, conveniently adapted for catching fish, as well as a maximum number of teeth - up to 100 pieces. Gharials live in the pools and knees of rivers in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The species is listed in the Red Book as particularly rare and has been completely exterminated in Bhutan and Myanmar. Due to its predominantly aquatic lifestyle, the Gangetic gharial feeds mainly on fish. Particularly large individuals occasionally attack small mammals and happily eat carrion. Baby reptiles are content with invertebrate animals.

• Gharial crocodile(Tomistoma schlegelii)

the closest relative of the gharial, with the same long, narrow snout and gigantic size. The body length of a crocodile can exceed 6 meters, but on average reaches no more than 5 meters. The color of the crocodile is chocolate brown with stripes on the body. The weight of a crocodile varies from 93 kg for females to 210 kg for males. This species of reptile has endangered status. A small population of crocodiles, consisting of 2.5 thousand individuals, lives in shallow, swampy rivers and lakes in Indonesia and Malaysia. The gharial crocodile, unlike its closest relative, the Gangetic gharial, only partly consumes fish, shrimp and small vertebrates. Despite the narrow snout, the main diet of the predator consists of pythons and other snakes, monitor lizards, turtles, monkeys, wild pigs, deer and otters.

Reproduction of crocodiles. How do crocodiles reproduce?

Crocodiles reach the ability to fertilize at 8-10 years of age with a body length of 2.5 meters in males and 1.7 meters in females. The breeding season of southern crocodiles occurs in the winter months, while northern crocodiles lay eggs in the fall.

At the beginning of the mating season, males announce the surroundings with an inviting roar, attracting females, and splash their muzzles in the water. During mating games, the couple rubs their muzzles and “sings” peculiar “songs” to each other.

The female crocodile builds a nest on sandbanks in close proximity to the shore or in dry river beds. In a hole up to half a meter deep, the female crocodile lays from 20 to 85 eggs, buries them with sand and protects them throughout the incubation period, which lasts about 3 months.

Despite the care of both parents, only 10% of the eggs are retained in the clutch.

At moments when the mother leaves to cool off in the water or to briefly hide from the scorching sun, the crocodile’s nest can be destroyed by other predators or humans.

Small crocodiles hatch and make sounds similar to chirping. Then the mother tears up the sand and carries the cubs closer to the pond in her own mouth. Sometimes parents squeeze the eggs between the tongue and the roof of their mouth to help their babies come into the world.

The sex of newborn crocodiles is determined by the temperature in the nest during incubation. If the sand is heated between 32 and 34.5 degrees, males are born. Temperatures above or below this mark determine the birth of females.

Baby crocodile babies are 30 cm long and develop quickly at first. They are surrounded by maternal care for 2 years, after which the offspring, matured and stretched to 1-1.2 m, move on to independent existence.

Crocodiles live long and reproduce well in captivity, but are absolutely not amenable to training. Today, some extreme and exotic lovers are trying to keep crocodiles at home, building them enclosures and swimming pools. Unfortunately, such attempts often end either in the death of the predator as a result of improper care, or in rather tragic situations in terms of the safety of the owners. If we talk about keeping crocodiles in an unnatural environment for them, then the most suitable option would be a good zoo, where specialists care for the reptiles.

• Although most reptiles consider a person invading their territory as potential prey, most often the most aggressive crocodiles - the Nile and saltwater crocodiles - attack people.
• Dangerous predators, crocodiles have historically been considered a cult object of worship in many cultures. For some ancient peoples, the crocodile was a sacred animal; the ancient Egyptians built temples in honor of the crocodile god, and embalmed reptiles are often found in the tombs of the pharaohs.
• According to the records of Herodotus, back in the 5th century BC. Noble Egyptians kept crocodiles as pets. These days, American authorities often catch unfortunate reptiles thrown out by careless owners from sewers.
• The bite of a saltwater crocodile is the strongest among the representatives of the animal world and can only be compared with the clenching of the jaws of a sperm whale or killer whale.
• The main reason for the decline in the crocodile population is considered to be the extermination of animals for the sake of leather used in the haberdashery industry. After all, only the soft skin of a crocodile from its belly is suitable for making handbags, gloves and straps.
• In the event of an unexpected hunger strike, a crocodile can go without food for more than a year thanks to its impressive fat reserves and slow metabolism.

Crocodiles are reptiles that have lived on Earth for about 250 million years. Crocodiles are extremely dangerous predators up to five and a half meters long. They pose a serious danger to most living creatures that find themselves in close proximity to them. The ancestors of modern crocodiles lived on land, but all modern representatives of this order lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Where do crocodiles live?

You can meet a crocodile in almost all tropical countries. They live in both freshwater bodies and salty coastal waters. They spend most of the day in the water. They usually hunt at night.

In particular, crocodiles are widespread in Africa, tropical regions of South, Central and North America, northern Australia, Bali, Guatemala, the Philippine Islands and Japan.

Some species sometimes swim far out to sea and can be found 600 km offshore.

Despite the fact that crocodiles usually live in water or near bodies of water, they can also be seen at a considerable distance from the water. Sometimes they travel on foot from one body of water to another, usually due to changes in climate or natural conditions. Some species may undergo seasonal migrations.

They can live in both sandy and wooded areas. They are also found among thickets of bushes and buried in silt.

As cold-blooded animals, they use the external environment to thermoregulate the body. They cannot tolerate temperatures below 20 and above 38 degrees Celsius. In this regard, in unfavorable conditions, they can dig nests and hibernate for a long period of time.