The Crocodile

Crocodiles

      Crocodiles are amazing animals, not only have they have been around for nearly 200 million years but they also managed to survive the event which killed the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago – they are the ultimate survivors!

      The scaly skin covering their body is the main reason crocodiles are classed as reptiles, along with snakes and lizards. Along their back they have hard notched scales which have blocks of bone inside - these scales act like armor and become an excellent form of protection against predators (mainly other crocodiles!). They also have a strong tail which they can use like a weapon to deliver a powerful @#$% to anyone or anything threatening it. This tail helps the crocodile to be a good swimmer and their swimming motion is like a wave from head to tail – you certainly wouldn’t want to compete in a swimming race against a crocodile, he’d probably cheat and eat you!

      Crocodiles are very clever hunters. The color and shape of their bodies mean that if they keep very still other animals might mistake them for a fallen log and not be frightened of coming close to them. Once their prey is nice and close the crocodile will suddenly attack and kill them, then eat them. Crocodiles can hunt this way on land or in water and will usually eat birds or small mammals although they will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough! Although they have very sharp teeth (which re-grow if they fall out), they do not use these to chew their food but usually just to hold on to it. They swallow most food whole or in large chunks.

      Have you ever seen a crocodile in the water? They can be very tricky to see! When they are in the water most of their body is hidden, usually only their nostrils and eyes can be seen above the water. This way they can still breathe as well as see prey that is unlucky enough to come close to the waters edge. Also with so little of their body showing it is difficult for other animals (and people) to see how big they really are! Crocodiles are able to live on land and in water but like us (humans) they need to breathe oxygen through their lungs. This means that they could not stay underwater forever like fish.

      Like most reptiles, crocodiles lay eggs. The female can lay between 20-90 eggs in a nest made from rotting leaves, dry grass or sand. She makes sure the eggs are covered to protect them from snakes, birds, lizards or other crocodiles who all like to eat crocodile eggs. When the baby crocodiles are ready to hatch they make a yapping sound from inside their eggs which lets mum know that they are ready and that it is time to dig them up. Once hatched, mum will only look after the babies for a month or two, after that they are completely on their own. This means they have to grow up very quickly!