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Crocodile facts
Crocodiles belong to the ancient reptilian family, which once walked about 300 million years ago on Earth. One of its cousins, were the mighty dinosaurs, who had massive bodies, long necks and huge tails. However, we cannot see them alive today, and the crocodilian family has gained the honour of being the biggest of the reptile family.
The crocodile is a land and water animal, but it is not an amphibian as it has a hard and rough skin that protects it from other predators. It is a cold blooded vertebrate. It has strong jaws and sharp claws which are able to tear and kill prey within seconds. It uses its log like body to camouflage under water to catch prey. It is also a very good swimmer, because it uses its front and hind limbs to swim. It also has very sharp eyesight, as it can detect prey from far away. It is a carnivore. The female croc lays the eggs on land and guards the nest until they hatch.
There are 23 species of crocodiles. The Nile crocodiles and salt water crocodiles are the biggest of all the crocodiles, measuring up to 20 feet and above. The smallest crocodiles are the New Guinea Fresh Water crocodiles reaching a length of barely 1.5 metre. Basically, the salt water crocs are bigger than the fresh water crocs. Females are smaller than the males. Other crocodile species are: the American crocodile, the Indian crocodile etc.
Differences between a crocodile and an alligator
The major difference between a crocodile and an alligator is that a crocodile has a long ‘V’ shaped jaw while an alligator has a wide ‘V’ shaped jaw. The other difference is that when an alligator closes its jaws, its upper teeth can be seen but the lower teeth cannot be seen, on the other hand, when a crocodile closes its jaws, both its upper and lower teeth can be seen.
Special features
The length of a crocodile is eight times the size of its head. The bite force of a crocodile is 6500 PSI. The crocodile, after hunting and killing its prey, rolls itself over and over again until it tears off the flesh of its prey and consumes it.
Weaknesses
Crocodiles are greedy animals. They eat everything in their path. They get aggressive very easily.
Crocodiles are one of the most ruthless animals, but at the same time they are very interesting and exciting creatures. We should try and protect these creatures because, if we don’t, one day these amazing creatures will leave us for ever.
Contributed by Agha Faran Ali
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