Crocodiles: Some interesting Facts

In the interesting facts series, today’s edition is Crocodiles.

The word crocodile comes from the Greek word crocodile meaning lizards of the Nile. They are closely related to birds and mammals than to reptiles.

The largest species of crocodile (saltwater crocodile) is of 7 meters in length while the smallest one(the dwarf crocodile) is 1.5 meter.

The Nile crocodile is the largest reptilian predator on earth.

Though we associate crocodiles with water, they can hunt in both aquatic as well as terrestrial soundings.

They can achieve a speed of 17 kmph on land.

Unlike other reptiles, they have 4 chambered heart and cerebral cortex.

They can excrete sweat through their mouth. This behavior can be seen when they stay in the river banks with mouths wide open.

The teeth are meant to grab they prey rather than to chew. They can grow new teeth in place of old teeth all life long.

The diet of a crocodile can be very diverse. They mostly eat fishes, amphibians, birds, mammals, mollusks, crustaceans and sometimes even crocodiles also. They have the most acidic stomach than any vertebrate. They can digest even horns, hooves, bones etc. Crocodiles can eat their prey above as well as underwater.

Their jaws are very powerful. The jaw is covered with sensory pits, it is believed to be of the same purpose as the lateral line in fishes. The muscles which open and closes their jaws are very different in nature.

While closing jaws they generate enormous power (they have the strongest bite force for any living creature) but the opening of the jaw have very little strength. You can prevent it from opening even with a rubber band.

Crocodiles shed tears during feasting.

The tail of the crocodile can exert a tremendous amount of power. It also helps them in swimming.

They can keep their eyes open in water. They possess nictitating membrane which protects their eyes under water.

Though seems to be visually similar, Crocodiles, Alligators, and Gharials are different animals.

They lay eggs in the land. The egg size of the crocodiles is not proportionate to their sizes their sizes are same as of a goose.

They have a very well developed sense of smell.

They are a cold-blooded animal and need the sun to warm themselves up.

They are ambush predators. Generally, they don’t chase their prey. They are the most social animals among the reptiles and sometimes hunt cooperatively.

The lifespan of a crocodile can be up to 80 years.

The skin in the back of a crocodile is covered with bones. These are very hard and can even deflect bullets. The skin on their belly is much softer and many tribal societies this skin is referred to as a symbol of status.

Thanks for reading. Check out more interesting facts about other animals in our archive section.