Crocodiles

alligator

2007-01-06T16:11:00.001-08:00

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The name alligator is an anglicized form of the Spanish el lagarto ("the lizard"), the name by which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. There are two living alligator species: the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis).

Alligator Hatch

2007-01-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Nile Crocodile

2007-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Nile crocodile (Crocodilus niloticus) actually has a number of suggested subspecies that mostly range through various parts of Africa. It was called msh in Old Egyptian and was referred to by some twenty other words.
Physical Characteristics
Considerable variation exists throughout the range of the Nile crocodile. Generally, it is a large crocodilian, in fact the largest of the African crocodilian, averaging five meters in length but reportedly reaching six meters in rare instances. There are dubious reports of seven meter animals having existed, but these are hard to verify. It is conceivable that some now living in Lake Nasser may attain considerable size. They are known to attain weights of up to 775 kilograms, or about 1,500 pounds. Males are often up to 30 percent larger than the females.
However, there is some evidence that Nile crocodiles in cooler countries, such as. South Africa, reach slightly smaller adult sizes of perhaps four meters. There are two known population of dwarf Nile crocodiles living on the extreme limits of the species' range, in Mali and even the Sahara Desert! However, these are probably not a subspecies at all, but rather populations with stunted growth due to environmental variables. Due to suboptimal conditions, adults average between two and three meters. Juveniles are dark olive brown with black cross-banding on the tail and body. This banding becomes fainter in adults.
Though crocodiles in general look much like alligators, they can be distinguished by their longer, narrower snout and their fourth tooth, which ticks out from the lower jaw rather than fitting neatly into the upper jaw.
In water, crocodiles swim mostly with their tails. Though their back feet are webbed, they rarely use them underwater. On land, they do use their powerful legs to move about, and they only look slow. Nile Crocodiles have been known to gallop at speeds of about thirty miles per hour over short distances.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/crocodiles.htm

Crocodile Bites

2007-01-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Philippine Crocodile

2007-01-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is a crocodile found only in the Philippines. It is also known as the Mindoro crocodile and the Philippine freshwater crocodile. In the Philippines, it is strictly prohibited to kill a crocodile, but its status is critically threatened from exploitation and unsustainable fishing methods, such as dynamite fishing. Conservation methods are being taken by the Dutch/Filipino Mabuwaya foundation.

Once considered a subspecies of the New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae), the Philippine crocodile is only found on the islands of the Philippines. The Philippine crocodile does not grow as large as some of the saltwater crocodiles that are indigenous to the same area. This species of crocodile is one of the most severely threatened species around. There are no more than 500-1,000 members of this species living outside of captivity. Compared to other crocodiles, the Philippine Crocodile has a relatively broader snout. Philippine crocodiles are relatively small, growing no more than 3 meters. Females are slightly smaller than males. The species is considered unagressive, but will bite when harassed or trodden on.

Although Philippine crocodiles, like all other crocodiles, are formidable predators, taking large prey as antelopes, they allow crocodile birds to scavenge among their teeth. Smaller specimens feed on fish, shrimp, rats, and water snails.

This crocodile was featured in National Geographic's Dangerous Encounters hosted by crocodile specialist Dr. Brady Barr. In one of the episodes, Barr was seeking to be the first person to see all species of crocodile in the world, with the Philippine crocodile as the most difficult. Fortunately, he was able to see a Philippine crocodile only about two weeks old. Philippine crocodiles are goldish brown in color, while it grows darker as it matures.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crocodile lays eggs

2007-01-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

Egglaying: Mothers go into trance when laying eggs. Mature females lay up to 60 eggs in several hours. A band appears on the egg after several days indicating their fertility. Eggs incubate in nest for around 80 days. Mothers can reabsorb eggs and use as nourishment if conditions are not right.

from: http://www.abc.net.au/nature/croc/lifecycle.htm

Crocodile Howl

2007-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

"He grunts and growls, and sometimes, inhales as hard as he can, submerging his snout and blowing water through his nostrils, producing a fountainlike spray".

Crocodile

2007-01-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). The term can also be used more loosely to include all members of the order Crocodilia: i.e. the true crocodiles, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae) and the gharials (family Gavialidae). The crocodiles, colloquially called crocs, are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the Tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. Some species, notably the Saltwater Crocodile of Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands often lives along the coastal areas as its name implies. It is also known to venture far out to sea. They mostly feed on a wide variety of vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes with invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans, depending on species. They are an ancient lineage, and are believed to have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia