These giant geniuses can use tools to fool prey, such as holding twigs with their snout to attract nest-building birds. Hunting with Baitsīeware of clever crocodiles. Playing can also be a social activity, with babies piggybacking on their friends and males giving free rides to their life mate. They may engage in locomotor play, like surfing ocean waves, sliding down slopes, or riding water currents. Any object can be a toy: floating debris, noisy ceramics, or wooden balls. They may look petrifying, but they are playful. Crocodiles wake up when the weather starts to warm up and live their lives until it gets cold again. They cannot generate heat on their own and go into long periods of sleep, similar to hibernation, called aestivation. Photo © ThorstenĬrocodiles are cold-blooded and prefer to live in tropical areas close to wetlands. Why and how do crocodiles hibernate? Australian Crocodile. It is noteworthy that crocodiles can secrete stomach acid 10 times faster than any other animal. This is definitely one of the amazing crocodile facts. Rocks in a crocodile’s stomach help crush and grate food. Why do crocodiles eat stones sometimes?Ĭrocodiles are predators and have their choice of meals in their environment, and the fact that they eat stones doesn’t make much sense, but there’s a reason behind it.Ĭrocodiles’ stomachs are highly acidic, helping them to digest hooves, bones, and other byproducts, and swallowing stones aid in digestion. They swallow too much air when they eat, which affects the lachrymal gland that produces tears, but they aren’t crying because they’re sad. What you may not know is that crocodiles really do produce tears. Have you ever heard the expression, crocodile tears? This term refers to someone fake crying to get attention or get out of trouble. The crocodile lived among the dinosaurs, and birds are avian dinosaurs. They’re Closely Related To Birds and DinosaursĪlthough crocodiles are reptiles, they’re more closely related to dinosaurs and birds than most animals classified as reptiles. Scientists believe an asteroid hit the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs, and the crocodile managed to survive the mass extinction and has been around ever since. The Cretaceous period occurred between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago, and crocodiles coexisted with dinosaurs. Crocodiles Existed During the Cretaceous Period They are classified as carnivores and don’t eat a combination of plants and animals like omnivores. They’re CarnivoresĬrocodiles have been reported to eat fruit, but all the fruit they can eat won’t sustain their diet. If there is little food available, they will feed on insects. They’ve also been known to eat domestic dogs that get too close to the crocodile’s territory, possums, cattle, and sharks. They eat fish, turtles, birds, and other mammals. Photo © Bernard DUPONTĬrocodiles are apex predators and consume other animals as their sole source of nutrition. What do crocodiles eat? Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) trying to swallow a big Tilapia. They are cold-blooded vertebrates with thick, scaly skin rather than fur or feathers. Crocodiles are ReptilesĬrocodiles are part of the reptile family, and they breathe air. The largest ones can average 60-70, with a few individuals living for over a century. Counting rings, we learned that most species live 30-40 years. Estimating AgeĪ lamellar growth ring appears on crocodile bones each year – handy for measuring age. Every species has a unique combination of snout proportion, bony dorsal structures, and scale arrangement. You will never go astray with DNA, but if you only have time for a quick check, examine their anatomy. The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest and can grow up to 23 feet long and weigh 2,200 to 2,600 pounds. The size also varies depending on the species, and the smallest is the Dwarf Crocodile, which can grow to be four feet, nine inches long, and weigh between 40 to 71 pounds. There are 23 species of crocodiles in the world, and their lifespan varies between 35 and 75 years, depending on the species. How many species of crocodiles are known? Keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles if you’re ever in any of these areas because they’re aggressive. They can also live in saltwater, often creating homes in lagoons, estuaries, or mangrove swamps, but most prefer freshwater. They live in wetland areas, such as lakes and freshwater rivers. Crocodiles are semi-aquatic and are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and North America.
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