CROCODILES
Reptile     -     Vertebrate    -     Carnivore
Picture
NILE CROCODILES
Picture
SALTWATER CROCODILE
Male:  Bull
Female:  Cow
Young:  Hatchling
​CROCODILES
​Crocodiles have looked the same since the time of the Dinosaurs.  They are 200 million years old.
  • ​Live in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.
  • Will rest with their mouths open to keep cool as they sweat through the mouth.
  • Lay their eggs in the sand and are hatched by the heat of the sun.
  • Hatchlings are eaten by monitor lizards, large fish or herons within the first year of life.
  • A hatchling is held gently by its mother between her jaws.
  • Can mover very fast over short distances.
  • Are ambush hunters.
  • Are cold-blooded.
  • Eat fish, birds and other animals.
  • Eat stones - it is believed that these are used as ballast when diving.
  • Average age is 50-60 years (some known to live to over 100 years).
  • Can swim at a speed of 25 miles per hour.
  • To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaw, push your thumb into its eyeball.
  • Cannot stick its tongue out.
  • Are colour blind.
  • Can feel you swimming nearby.
  • Has so much acid in its stomach, it can digest steel.
  • Can grow 50 new sets of teeth in a lifetime.
  • Will always grow new teeth to replace the old ones.
  • Have no lips and can hold their breath for an hour.
  • Only 6 out of the 22 species of crocodile are a danger to humans.
To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaw, push your thumb into its eyeball - it will let you go immediately.