The Nile crocodile

　　The Nile crocodile has a somewhat deserved reputation as a vicious man-eater. The proximity of much of its habitat to people means run-ins are frequent. And its virtually indiscriminate diet means a villager washing clothes by a riverbank might look just as tasty as a migrating wildebeest. Firm numbers are sketchy, but estimates are that up to 200 people may die each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.

　　Africa's largest crocodilian, these primordial brutes reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6 meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove swamps.
The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding.
One unusual characteristic of this fearsome predator is its caring nature as a parent. Where most reptiles lay their eggs and move on, mother and father Nile crocs ferociously guard their nests until the eggs hatch, and they will often roll the eggs gently in their mouths to help hatching babies emerge.
Hunted close to extinction in the 1940s through the 1960s, local and international protections have helped them rebound in most areas. In some regions, though, pollution, hunting, and habitat loss have severely depleted their numbers.

Joe Hildebrand and crocodiles

　　
　　Above: An impressive sample of the Northern Territory’s most highly evolved creatures. Picture also shows a crocodile.
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THE naturalist Charles Darwin observed that when confronted with a hostile and unliveable environment, organisms would mutate into strange new species never before seen on the planet.
While controversial when it was first published, this theory does at least explain the existence of Northern Territorians.
It is fitting that the city which bears Darwin’s name is also the home of a new master race that spends most of its waking hours trying to figure out how to keep beer cold.
There are many reasons why Darwinians need to get as drunk as they can as often as possible, chief among them being the inherent torment of living in Darwin.
The city lives in an endless summer and it would be difficult to tell the seasons apart were it not for the fact that in one of them it never rains and in the other it never stops raining.
Either way though, it is always hot and so the city is lucky to be surrounded by beautiful beaches. Not only that, but the water is a divine shade of blue and the perfect temperature for swimming.
Indeed, the only slight drawback is that it is filled with man-eating crocodiles, deadly box jellyfish and the occasional killer shark.
Of course the Darwinians weren’t the first to conceive of a place that was unbearably hot and filled with water you couldn’t touch. The Ancient Greeks had a similar place. It was called Hades.
Having said that, many Darwin residents do still go in the water during the months when there are not huge swarms of deadly jellyfish. At that time all you are risking is being mauled by a crocodile, which is a deeply traumatic experience but still marginally more pleasant than staying at Darwin Casino.
Indeed, the Territory is home to thousands of these leather-skinned old dinosaurs _ and also several crocodiles.
The crocodiles like to do pretty much what all the locals do, which is to say hang out in backyard pools eating anything that’s within reach.
It is perhaps for this reason that Territorians not only tolerate crocodiles but actively encourage them.
For starters there is a ban on people hunting crocodiles _ a courtesy, it should be noted, that crocodiles do not extend to people.
This means that the crocs have learnt to no longer fear humans and are probably starting to wonder why they were ever afraid of us in the first place.
But not satisfied with that, Territorians have now taught crocodiles to actively seek out humans as a source of food. Thanks to the ``jumping crocs’’ phenomenon, these giant killing machines have been trained to think that if they are hungry they just have to listen for the sound of a small tinnie crammed with people, swim up right beside it, leap out of the water with their jaws wide open as close to the humans as possible.
What could possibly go wrong?
In many other jurisdictions questions would be raised about the wisdom of this practice, however in the Territory it is considered not only harmless but also a viable business plan.
Few other places in the world have decided that the best drawcard for tourists is to lure them to the middle of nowhere and then almost get them killed but this is typical of the unique genius Territorians have evolved.
Not only does the strategy work, but from a Territorian’s point of view it is failsafe: If the tourist survives, they get more money to buy beer, whereas if the tourist gets eaten… Who cares? They’re a tourist.
Southerners do not think in this way, which is why they are also regarded by Territorians as foreigners and thus slightly below crocodiles.
Indeed it is important to remember when visiting the NT that it is they who think you are a bit slow.
A typical example of this was one local boating enthusiast who expressed his disbelief that the authorised study of crocodiles was left to ``so-called scientists’’ and not his moustachioed offsider, who appeared to have just drunk a bottle of Southern Comfort and was now face deep in a bowl of spaghetti.
Indeed, it cannot be denied that just to have survived into adulthood in the Territory is a fairly impressive feat, and only slightly less difficult than surviving a night at the Casino (which, for example, requires guests to sign a waiver before they open the balcony door).
Indeed I was surprised to be told that the hotel was rated five stars, until I found out this was out of a possible 10.
The fact of the matter is that Darwin is just too tough a place for regular humans: If the crocodiles don’t destroy you then the architecture certainly will. It’s a wild nonsensical town full of mad alcoholics.
And I’m sure there are some bad things about it too.

This Is About Flood Waters Free Crocodiles in Thailand

　　
　　Apichart Weerawong/Associated PressA crocodile caught in a flooded residential area in the Bangbuatong district of Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok on Sunday.
First it was Bengal tigers in Ohio. Now it’s crocodiles in Bangkok that have broken loose and are menacing the local population.
The authorities have warned that crocodiles are swimming through rising flood waters around the outskirts of the heavily populated capital of Thailand, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Estimates of the number vary, with the Australian report saying “thousands.” At least 100 broke free last week in Ayutthaya province, north of the capital, according to reports.
The government has been keeping a wary eye on the country’s crocodiles since flood waters began to rise early this month. Thailand is among the world’s main exporters of crocodile products, farming roughly 200,000 at 30 farms wiht 900 small breeding operations, my colleague Seth Mydans reports.
Authorities have offered cash rewards of 1,000 baht — about $32 —for each crocodile caught alive, according to CNN.
The reward appeared to be enough to prompt men to brave the sharp teeth of the livestock, using rope to secure the crocodiles and haul them back from their suburban hideouts.
Chai Patacamin, a journalist at Thailand’s Daily News, posted a dramatic picture of a crocodile capture in a flooded street on Sunday in what appeared to be the outskirts of Bangkok. The absence of any rope indicated that the animal was either dead or extremely docile.

　　Chai Patacamin, via yfrogMen hauled a crocodile across a flooded street in Thailand on Sunday. It was unclear if the animal was still alive; most that are captured living must be tied up.
Photographs and video posted online in recent days showed the usual method of securing the potentially dangerous animal, tying the mouth and all four legs with a long piece of rope. Officials and villagers in the Bangbuatong district caught eight crocodiles over the weekend on a flooded road north of the capital and shot two dead, according to the Bangkok Post, an English-language daily.
So far there have been no reports of the newly freed crocodiles injuring any people.
Apichart Weerawong/Associated PressA crocodile in a boat north of the capital on Sunday.
The video below, uploaded to YouTube over the weekend, appeared to show teams of men hunting for crocodiles in small boats. Though similar boats have appeared in photographs of the October flooding and crocodile expeditions, the location and exact timing of the crocodile hunt could not be firmly established:

And crocodiles kissing

Mónica Quesada

Poncho the crocodile plays with his owner Gilberto Sheedan.

Watch a video of Chito and Pocho performing
Pocho, the “domesticated” Costa Rican crocodile that gained international attention for a weekly show he performed with owner Gilberto Sheedan, died Tuesday at Finca Las Tilapias in the Caribbean-slope town of Siquirres. Olga Valle, Sheedan’s wife, said the nearly 1,000-pound croc died a natural death at  age 50. A funeral will be held for Pocho on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“All of the people in the village have offered their condolences and assistance,” Valle said.
On past Sundays, Pocho and “Chito,” as Sheedan was better known, performed a show for visitors in a 100-square-meter artificial lake at Finca Las Tilapias. Chito, 54, declared the one-eyed crocodile “domesticated.” He could command Pocho to do tricks such as winking its one good eye, lifting its head and tail out of the water, rolling over and permitting Chito to stick his head inside the massive reptile’s maw.
Chito found the 5-meter-long crocodile near death on the shore of the Parismina River, in the Limón province, 17 years ago. The crocodile had been shot in the left eye. Chito and several friends loaded the animal into a boat and took him to Siquirres, where Pocho was nursed back to health. Chito even slept with the crocodile during its recovery.
After an employee saw Chito swimming with Pocho one day, word of the duo’s friendship spread. In July 2000, Costa Rica’s Channel 7 filmed the unusual pair. Chito and Pocho became stars, receiving attention as far as the United States, Chile and the United Kingdom.
The Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry allowed Chito to keep the crocodile as long as they could monitor it. Chito worked with a veterinarian and a biologist and fed Pocho 30 kilograms of fish and chicken a week.
Chito never imagined the fame that would come from the unique friendship. All he wanted was an animal companion. A sign on his ranch emphasized that relationship: “Chito and Pocho are best friends.”
“I just wanted him to feel that someone loved him, that not all humans are bad,” Chito told The Tico Times in 2007. “I love all animals, especially ones that have suffered.”

Crocodiles inspire fear

Crocodiles inspire fear, which may have something to do with their coolly dominating presence. After all, for nearly 100 million years during the Mesozoic era (248-65 million years ago), the crocodilian order ruled the Earth. Today's crocodiles have changed remarkably little since then. They are still the most advanced reptile species, and they still terrify most people. In this feature, we ask that you put aside your fears and get up close and personal with a Nile crocodile. 　　Launch Interactive Printable Version What makes this reptile such a fearsome predator? Explore the anatomy of a cro

Oregon never has experienced a wild-animal

  Oregon never has experienced a wild-animal escape as catastrophic as the one Tuesday in Ohio, where 49 animals were shot dead by authorities. But beasts do periodically slip from their Northwest confines. 　　In 2005, a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a pet Siberian lynx that wandered into a Happy Valley home and attacked a 6-year-old girl. In 2009, nine Japanese macaques escaped the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Hillsboro; they were re-captured. This summer, a South American anteater moseyed through a Rainier neighborhood after exiting a facility licensed to breed exotic animals.
A 2002 alligator escape in Beaverton prompted Oregon legislators to craft a law that took effect Jan. 1, 2010. It aims to phase out certain exotic pets, including crocodiles, alligators, nonhuman primates and nondomestic dogs or cats. No new permits are issued for such animals.
No one is sure how many wild animals live in captive situations outside Oregon's zoos, wildlife parks, breeding operations, sanctuaries and rehab centers because some of those who keep exotic animals fail to get permits, which are required by law.
"Exotic" as defined by state law includes non-domestic cats, nonhuman primates, bears, wolves and other nonindigenous canines, other than domestic dogs. Many species -- from water buffalo to venomous snakes -- don't fall under the definition.
Plus, information on licensed and permitted exotics isn't collected in one place. Species are regulated by different agencies. Counties and cities have their own rules.
In the hodgepodge of regulations, for instance, the Oregon Department of Agriculture issues permits for nonindigenous bears, but the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regulates American black bears. ODA handles nonindigenous cats, other than domestic cats, while ODFW deals with cougars, bobcats and lynx.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture licenses 44 Oregon exhibitors, such as circuses and theme parks. ODA has active permits issued for 27 cats, 14 nonhuman primates, seven crocodiles and a handful of small foxes. ODFW has active permits issued for 21 bobcats. A Bend man and Bandon's West Coast Game Park have permits to breed cougars. The game park also is permitted to breed bears.
"We don't have anyone permitted that approaches this one in the Midwest," said state veterinarian Don Hansen. And Rick Boatner, ODFW's invasive species/wildlife integrity coordinator, said exotic-pet ownership "is not such a big deal in Oregon, as far as I know."
Individuals and others who keep exotics must follow caging requirements and they face surprise inspections. The state agriculture department inspects every two years -- more often if the agency gets complaints. Hansen said they don't get many.
Zoo and other wildlife professionals say few individual exotic-animal owners grasp the complexities required to keep animals healthy and safe -- one reason many exotic pets end up dying prematurely or being surrendered to sanctuaries.
"There's always been a subset of folks who think it'd be really neat to own a tiger or a leopard," said Oregon Zoo director Kim Smith. "But they're predators ... There's a lot of responsibility and highly trained care required."
The zoo, Wildlife Safari in Winston and the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport are the only Oregon outfits accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a rating considered the industry gold standard. Accreditation inspections look at everything from exhibit design and veterinary care to nutrition expertise and safety procedures.
The zoo, Wildlife Safari and the Oregon National Primate Research Center all use secure double-gate systems. The primate center updated the one weak link in its system that made the 2009 macaque escape possible, head veterinarian C.J. Doan said.
At the zoo and Wildlife Safari, staff members routinely practice for emergencies. Zoo staffers recently drilled as if an elephant had gotten loose. Keepers and others knew their roles, from a weapons team to those charged with getting visitors to safety. One employee even played the role of the elephant.
Like many zoo professionals, Smith has dealt with actual escapes. Early on, as a keeper at a zoo she declined to name, baboons got loose on the day their new exhibit was to open. With nets, sedatives and food, keepers captured them all in short order.
Before Dan Brands went to work for Wildlife Safari 4 1/2 years ago, he said, a bear slipped through a gate and entered an area visitors drove through. Now, a fence separates visitors from the bears.
That's not to say the southern Oregon wildlife park has solved all its problems.
"We have a giraffe that likes to relocate from one area to another," said Brands, the general curator. "He tiptoes across cattle guards and goes into our Americas exhibit and Asia exhibit," apparently attracted by some tasty trees.
Tim Harrison, a retired Ohio police officer called to help Tuesday when Terry Thompson freed his menagerie before killing himself, will be in Oregon Oct. 29, attending a benefit for Sherwood's WildCat Haven. The sanctuary houses more than 60 captive-born wild cats that had been abused, neglected or abandoned.
Harrison founded the nonprofit Outreach for Animals, which works to educate people about why wild animals aren't suitable as pets. And he has the lead role in a new documentary, "The Elephant in the Living Room," about dangerous predators roaming city streets, thanks to the exotic pet trade.
He rails against weak laws and blames reality TV -- such shows as "Crocodile Hunter" and "Animal Planet," he says -- for building public desire to keep wild beasts as pets.
Contacted by phone Friday, he sounded as if he still was reeling from the carnage in Zanesville.
"We're hoping some major laws will be changed," Harrison said. "Common sense ain't that common anymore."
 

Crocodile escape

　　
　　The crocodile which was caught by a passer-by was taken to the zoo. —File Photos
HA NOI — A crocodile was recently caught by a passer-by after fleeing from a crocodile farm in Hoang Mai District, raising concern about the management of wild animals in the city.
The reptile was later taken to Ha Noi Zoo. It escaped from a crocodile farm owned by Duong Van Vien in Linh Nam Ward. He is raising 20 others.
Vien told Kinh te and Do Thi newspaper (Economy and Urban Affairs) that he bought 30 crocodiles worth more than VND100 million (US$4,800) from a farm in northern Hung Yen Province to entertain tourists. Nine of them died and one escaped.
The head of the Ha Noi Forestry Management Department, Dang Van Phuc, was quoted by the newspaper as saying that raising wild animals was an activity that must be registered with his department.
However, Phuc added that his department had granted no licences to any citizens in Hoang Mai District to raise crocodiles.
"Crocodile farmers are required to ensure the height and strength of cages as well as water levels," he said. "Vien therefore has violated regulations. Further investigations are being made."
The department urged Vien to submit legal documents proving the origin of the crocodiles and to register with the department. To date, 21 crocodile farms in the city have registered with the department.
Under current regulations, those found to be illegally raising wild rare and valuable animals will be fined between VND50-500 million ($2,400-24,000), according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)'s Management Authority of Viet Nam.
The Ha Noi People's Committee in July fined a resident in Chuong My District VND50 million ($2,400) for illegally raising two wild cats listed as rare and valuable wild animals. — VNS

Mourning die crocodile

　　
　　Matt Levin
Gilberto “Chito” Sheedan bids farewell to Pocho the crocodile at an Oct. 16 funeral for the celebrated trained reptile.
The final time Chito and Pocho took center stage seemed no less stirring, hard-to-believe and ridiculous than the act’s original premise – a crocodile and a human as best friends.
After two decades of performing together, Pocho the “domesticated” crocodile died last Tuesday of natural causes in his manmade swamp at Finca Las Tilapias, in the Caribbean-slope town of Siquirres. The croc’s owner, Gilberto Sheedan, better known as “Chito,” said his partner was nearing 60 years old.
On Sunday – the day Pocho and Chito normally frolicked in the water for visitors – the village held a grand funeral for the huge reptile.
Chito placed the 5-meter, 450-kilo dead crocodile in a wagon and hitched it to a car that drove the duo around the town. Dozens of vehicles joined the motorcade. At least 50 mourners kept pace with the procession, while onlookers sprinted up to the cart to snap photos. By the time the tour ended, back at Finca Las Tilapias, some 300 people had shown up at the ranch.
“Our act was something very special,” Chito, 54, said. “Always people who didn’t know Pocho took something extraordinary from it.”
Chito found Pocho wounded and near death on the shore of the Parismina River, in Limón province, in 1989. The crocodile had been shot in the left eye, and Chito nursed it back to health. A decade later, an employee at the finca saw Chito swimming with Pocho, and told local media. The unusual pair became stars after their first show in the summer of 2000. The ranch kept a veterinarian and a biologist to check on the crocodile’s health. Pocho fed on 30 kilograms of fish and chicken a week.
Large crowds gathered weekly around the artificial lake to watch Pocho and Chito, with the crocodile performing tricks such as winking, rolling over and allowing Chito to put his head inside its giant, fang-lined mouth.
The memorial at Finca Las Tilapias recognized the croc’s importance to the community. Onlookers watched Chito give a passionate goodbye to Pocho, the reptilian half of an act that became the biggest tourist attraction in the small, muggy pueblo and picked up coverage from around the world.
The funeral certainly seemed like the biggest event Siquirres had seen in some time. Chito’s friends quoted Bible passages to the audience about loving animals. They dedicated songs to Pocho, and played videos of past performances and interviews with Chito.
“It was beautiful,” Siquirres native Xinia Mejía, 40, said. “At least here, we’ve never seen anything like this.”
Visitors from across the country came to observe the ceremony. Miguel Arias, 57, from San Carlos in northern Costa Rica, had never seen Chito and Pocho perform, but became interested after seeing a report on the news. Arias said he was stunned by the outpouring of support for the crocodile and the “beautiful” ceremony.
Funeral garb, however, was not required. Chito, dark-skinned, bald-headed and fit, dressed in the leopard-print loincloth and bandana he wore during his shows with Pocho. Many congregants wore T-shirts dedicated to Pocho’s memory. The shirts sold for $4 at Finca Las Tilapias, alongside mugs dedicated to Chito and Pocho and a selection of small wooden crocodiles.
Pocho’s carcass will be embalmed and placed on display at a museum at Finca Las Tilapias.
Skeptics may say the funeral was just a money-making charade, but Chito’s copious tears did not appear to be of the crocodile variety. He seemed to need the attention and support of the crowd to stay composed. While other guests took the microphone to speak about Pocho, Chito could be seen bawling in the arms of his wife, Olga, or leaning over the crocodile with tears on his cheeks.
When Chito moved front and center again, he seemed determined to keep the last show with his “brother” Pocho as momentous as

　　Chito mourns the death of his “domesticated” pet crocodile, Pocho.
Matt Levin
past ones. The most peculiar highlight – one that seemed to condense Chito’s affection for Pocho and also his love for the limelight – came when he sang The Platters’ classic “The Great Pretender.” Chito wailed each lyric of the 1960s hit about denial to the fallen crocodile: “Oh yes I’m the great pretender / Pretending I’m doing well / My need is such I pretend too much / I’m lonely but no one can tell.”
As Chito and Pocho’s fame grew, there were those who suspected the croc would one day make “Chito finito” out of Sheedan. Lolinda Mighty Hall, who grew up with Chito in Siquirres, remembered how fearful everyone was that the crocodile would turn on its trainer. Hall, 58, said over time they saw a genuine connection develop.
Other crocodiles later joined Pocho in Chito’s swamp. The question circulated throughout the afternoon of whether Chito would soon begin training the next Pocho.
The speculation reached Chito midway through the ceremony. Replace Pocho? Chito sucked in a deep breath.
“Pocho is Pocho, the only one,” Chito said, his voice cracking. “Much of the public and all the people of Siquirres responded to him. There is no more Pocho. He will be the only Pocho there ever was.”

Pocho the friendly Costa Rican crocodile

　　Pocho the friendly Costa Rican crocodile has died in the Caribbean town of Siquirres.
The 50-year-old crocodile gained international fame for his weekly Sunday show he performed with owner Gilberto Sheedan.
　　Olga Valle, wife of Sheedan, said: "All of the people in the village have offered their condolences and assistance."
Chito, 54, described the one-eyed crocodile 'domesticated'. He could command Pocho to do tricks such as winking its one good eye, lifting its head and tail out of the water, rolling over and permitting Chito to stick his head inside the massive reptile's maw.
Chito found the five-metre-long crocodile close to death on the shore of the Parismina river, in the Lim
.

The unique the Philippines ogre crocodile

　　
This kind of story is tragic and sad, but typical of the problems faced with conservation of crocodiles. The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is considered perhaps the most endangered of all the species, with less than 100 individuals remaining in the wild and considerable pressure on its remaining habitat. Yet there are now estimated to be 7,000 Philippine crocodiles in captivity, more than enough to help replenish wild populations before they disappear forever. The problem is getting permission to release them. It seems nobody in a position to grant this permission wants any Philippine crocodiles released back into the wild, based on unfounded fears that these crocodiles may start to kill people (there has not been a single documented attack by a Philippine crocodile on a human recorded). There has always been confusion in the Philippines between the Philippine crocodile and the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and the admittedly rare attacks by the latter species have unfortunately also tarred the reputation of the former. 　　Yet it should be clear to anyone in the Philippines of the value of crocodiles to their country, on a week after the world's largest saltwater crocodile was captured and placed into captivity for the purposes of tourism and education about crocodiles. Perhaps those same officials who refuse to consider releasing an endemic and unique crocodile, a species that should be a source of national pride for their country (and international derision should it be allowed to disappear forever), should read their own newspapers and realise how important (and valuable) crocodiles can be for a country that is lucky enough to still have them.

Adventure crocodile

　　

For 20 years, near Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, locals have been terrorized by one of the largest freshwater crocodiles in the world. The 25 foot long crocodile, named Gustave, has an insatiable appetite... for people. He is known for having eaten over 200 people, though some believe that number to be as high as 300. In the past, all attempts to catch or kill Gustave were unsuccessful. Still, for one man who has made it his mission to hunt the crocodile, there may be a more humane solution to stopping this man-eater.
Patrice Faye is Frenchman, but he's been living in Burundi for the past two decades. He became something of a local hero 11 years ago when he made his first attempts to capture Gustave using a trap, but that didn't work out well. "He must have a very strong survival instinct , because he has survived while other crocodiles were massacred," Faye told the BBC Brasil.
Despite the fact that Gustave has eaten so many people, Faye still has respect for his elusive nemesis--and does not intend on killing him.
We live in an age where creatures like these are increasingly rare. He's a prehistoric animal, very fat. In the water, he's like a hippo. But he still has all his teeth, suggesting that he is about 68 years.
During one three month period that he followed the crocodile, 17 people were eaten. This had lead Faye to estimate that Gustave has probably eaten over 300 in the last 20 years. "I do not think it is a matter of taste, but a question of what he can hunt," he said.
Faye points out that Gustave's massive size likely makes acquiring more conventional meals difficult--plus a diet of fish probably wouldn't be enough to satisfy his appetite. Faye says the crocodile "has no choice but to hunt easier prey," and humans in or around the lake are good candidates.
So, what's the best way to humanely deal with a man-eating crocodile? Faye hopes that following Gustave's movements more closely might reduce the numbers of people being eaten.
I have informants. In Burundi, thousands of people who live along the lake, especially fishermen who spend most of their time in water. I gave them a dozen cell phones to tell me where he is.
Still, some gun-wielding locals have made attempts to stop Gustave themselves. "Many fishermen said they had hit him. He seems to have bullet proof leather."
It may take more than a bullet to stop an enormous, man-eating crocodile--or to discourage his devoted follower, Patrice Faye.

The African crocodile is recognisable

　　

Crocodiles are tropical reptiles. They are thick skinned and lizard-like in shape. Adult crocodiles grow to between 2.5 m and 4.2 m. The African crocodile is recognisable by its narrow snout. It has three or four rows of protective scales on the back of its neck, which merge with the scales on its back (other members of the Crocodylus genus have only two rows of scales). The fourth tooth of the African crocodile’s lower jaw sits outside the crocodile’s lips even when its mouth is closed.
Crocodiles are found primarily in freshwater rivers that have dense vegetation cover. They can also be found in large lakes. Crocodiles are most at home in the water, but are able to travel on land.
Crocodiles are carnivores. They use their sharp teeth for catching and holding their prey. Their diet is thought to consist primarily of fish and small aquatic invertebrates. Young crocodiles feed on worms and insects. While adults eat frogs, tadpoles, and opportunistically on larger prey if it becomes available including humans.
The African crocodile is generally not found in groups, except during the onset of the breeding season. At the onset of the rainy season female crocodiles construct nests out of plant matter on the banks of rivers, although breeding occurs year-round. Female African crocodiles lay between 13 to 27 eggs about a week after they have finished building their nests.

Chinese alligator living habits and predator method

Some people called the alligator alligators alligator, fish it as a kind of aquatic animals. In fact, there is no alligators gills, not aquatic animals, but the alligator back in the water, forming a number of features to adapt to life in water, with only amphibious ability. This, Alligator on the expansion of areas of life, making them easy to become a winner in the struggle for survival.
Alligators in the lakes and pond burrowing and habitat, ferocious nature, a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans. June mate, lay eggs from July to August, can lay 10-20 pieces of litter. Eggs in the grass, weeds on the cover, the mother alligator will guard the side, by the natural temperature of incubation, the incubation period is about 60 days. With hibernation habits of drilling in October each year in hibernation cave to come out in April and May next year

activities. 　　Alligator hi static, often hiding in caves during the day, going out at night to feed. But it also came out during the day activities, in particular, like in a cave near the shore, the beach sun. It is often closed his eyes, climb V does not move, in a semi-sleep state, to give people the illusion of slow action, but, when it discovered the event of predators or food, they will immediately force the thick tail swinging around, rapidly sink to the bottom to escape predators or chase food. It's favorite food is snail, mussel, fish, shrimp, birds, rabbits, snakes and other animals. The alligator eat a lot, can absorb large quantities of nutrients stored in the body, so it will have a strong ability of anti-hunger, you can spend a long hibernation.

Alligator encounter predators on land or hunting food, to vertical jump arrest, capture less than vertical, it was a huge tail sweep can also be violent. Unfortunately, the alligator, although there seems a long sharp sharp teeth, teeth may have a slot, such teeth can not bite and chew food, the food can only be the same as the pliers 'grip' and then bolted to swallow bite. So when the alligator catch large terrestrial animals, they could not bite, but to drag them into the water and drowned; the contrary, when the alligator catch larger aquatic animals when they are thrown on the ground again, so that prey died due to lack of oxygen. Can not swallow large pieces of food in the face of time, often with alligator mouth "clip" the food in the rocks or tree trunks beat violently, until it broke and then threw a soft mouth or swallow, such as not enough, it is simply to prey lost to the side, any of its natural decay, and other bad enough to be swallowed, and then swallow. Alligator has a special stomach. Only the stomach acid is not only more but also high acidity, so it's particularly good digestive function.


　　Alligator 19th century, alligator spotted in the Yangtze River, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Jiangsu Province, like the river gully in the hills and shallow lakes on the river built dig hole, but the reptile is inseparable from the water. It is slow clumsiness on land, once in water, is doing well. And this amphibious characteristics, resulting in the tragic fate of the alligators. Alligator Point building was reclaimed into the shallows and more farmland, hills and extensive damage to vegetation and hills of the greatly reduced water storage capacity, frequent drought and waterlogging, the alligator had to leave their caves, looking for suitable habitat. This migration process but also for natural and man-killing death created an opportunity. Alligator hunting for many years been a large number of cave was vandalism, stir the egg is bad or Taozou. The chemical fertilizer and pesticide use is also greatly reduced the alligator's main food - the number of aquatic animals. Alligator reduced to the current distribution Jiangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces border the narrow region.