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 Crocodiles
started living on Earth about 200 million years ago. All crocodiles
can be vicious. They are able to
attack with lightening speed and kill
animals as heavy as they are. They can eat just about anything. The
most terrifying crocodiles are
the Nile and Australian crocodiles. The Nile crocodile can take down a water buffalo!
Their long narrow snouts are rimmed with sharp teeth that can rip apart large prey. But
those fierce teeth are not meant
for chewing. They are meant for
breaking up crab and turtle shells or for crushing bones. Crocodiles
can digest anything -even bones,
shells and horns! Crocodiles also have an amazing ability to go without food.
While other animals would die of hunger, some crocodiles
can go a whole year without eating!
A healthy adult crocodile can be 4.5 meters long and weigh up to 204
kilograms. But that doesn't mean that they move slowly.
In fact, they can move very fast. They can shoot out of the water and
onto shore at a surprising
69 kilometers per hour!
Crocodiles have keen eyesight, excellent hearing
and a good sense of smell. While they
can't focus well underwater, crocodiles can
sight their prey on land
from great distances. Scientists even
believe that they can see color.
Crocodiles have nests of eggs called clutches.
Some crocodiles will dig from 300 to 900 centimeters
into a creek bank to create a protected burrow for their nests. They
create a hidden entrance to the burrow that
is at the water line or just below it. A clutch of eggs
can have as few as 8 eggs and as many as 80. Crocodile eggs take about
85 days to hatch.
So, where can we find crocodiles? There are 23 species of crocodile in the
world. They can be found in the swamps and everglades of the southeastern
U.S., in Central and South America, Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan,
Malaysia and Borneo. |
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