Animals

Crocodiles – which are not to be confused with alligators – are incredibly large reptiles that live in the Tropics of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. You can find most crocodiles in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. The Saltwater Crocodile of Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands often live along the coastal areas and may even swim out to sea on occasion.

They eat fish, other reptiles, and mammals – which it is wise to always keep your distance because they will attack humans if they are too close. They have powerful jaws that can bight down with more force than any other animal. The crocodile’s bite force is more than 5,000 pounds per square inch. They use their sharp teeth for tearing apart their prey and for holding on to it.

Their weakness is that they cannot open their mouth if it is being help closed. That is why Zoologists will subdue the crocodile for study by taping their jaws or holding them down with rope and large rubber bands.

They have a four-chambered heart, diaphragm and cerebral cortex – which is not common in other reptiles. A crocodile’s physical traits allow it to be a successful predator. They have a streamlined body that enables them to swim faster. They also tuck their feet to their sides while swimming, which makes the animal even faster, by decreasing the water resistance.

They have webbed feet which, although not used to propel the animal through the water, allow it to make fast turns and sudden moves in the water or initiate swimming. Webbed feet are an advantage in shallower water where the animals sometimes move around by walking.

The size of the crocodile greatly varies between species, from the dwarf crocodile to the enormous saltwater crocodile. Large species can reach over 5 or 6 meters long and weigh well over 1200 kg (2,640 lb). Despite their large adult size, crocodiles start their life at around 20 cm (8 inches) long. The largest species of crocodile is the Saltwater Crocodile, found in northern Australia and throughout South-east Asia.