Crocodiles Information

Crocodiles are reptiles belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). The term is however also often used to mean all crocodilians, i.e. all animals belonging to the order Crocodilia which includes alligators, caimans and gharials (gavials) as well. A more correct way of referring to these animals is to say Crocodiles when referring only to the family Crocodylidae and crocodilians when referring to order Crocodilia.

Crocodiles are large aquatic mammals that can be found throughout the tropical world. Crocodiles have been around for 200 million years and changed very little during this time. They survived the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs and are today found in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Crocodiles are primarily found in freshwater but some species can also be found in brackish water. The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) can wander into marine environments but is also usually found in fresh or brackish water.

Different crocodile species differs in length from 1 m / 3.3 ft to almost 9 m / 30 ft. The smallest crocodile species are the ones found in the genera Palaeosuchus and Osteolaemus which grow to 100-150 cm / 3.3-5 ft in length. The largest species of crocodile in the world is the Saltwater crocodile. The largest recorded specimen of this species was 8.6 m (28 ft) and weighed 1,352 kg (2,980 lbs). That is however a rare case and 5 m / 16 ft and 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) is to be considered more normal, although some specimens do grow considerably larger as the earlier mentioned example demonstrates. The saltwater crocodile is also the most well known of all crocodiles and when people think about crocodiles they usually think of Saltwater or Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus). It is unknown how old crocodiles can become but we do know that they can exceed 100 years of age. A freshwater crocodile in captivity in Australia is estimated to be 130 years old.

Crocodiles are ambush hunters that eat fish, birds, reptiles and mammals as well as invertebrates. Large crocodiles are even known to eat sharks, and they will certainly not hesitate to prey on smaller members of their own species. The diet varies a little between species but all crocodiles are predatory. They are “cold blooded” like all reptiles which allow them to survive long periods without food. This means that they seldom need to actively hunt and instead can be opportunistic. Large crocodile species swallow stones and the exact purpose of this remains a mystery. Some believe it is to help digest the food while others believe they are used as ballast to help the crocodile keep its balance.

Most crocodile species belong to the genus Crocodylus but some species are found outside this genus. The taxonomy of crocodiles is under review and changes might be made to this classification soon. One such change is that the Slender-snouted crocodile might be moved to its own genus, Mecistops,due to findings discovered through DNA analysis.

This Is The Largest Crocodilianspecies

The Gharial is one of the largest crocodilianspecies. They are between 4 and 6 m (13 - 19.7 ft) in length and they can weigh up to 450 kgs (1,000 lbs). They have a life expectancy in the wild of 40 - 60 years.

Gharial are large and slender with a distinctive narrow snout. The snout shape varies depending on the age of the animal - it becomes longer and thinner as they get older. Males have a bulbous growth, known as a ghara, on the end of their snout and this produces bubbles and sounds during courtship. They have extremely sharp teeth with there being 54 - 58 on their upper jaw and 50 - 52 on their lower jaw.

Gharial are grey/olive in colour with youngsters being paler. Their tail is laterally flattened and they have broadly webbed feet which enables them to be extremely agile and quick when in the water. Their legs are relatively weak and they cannot move well on land. They tend to slide along on their belly as their legs are not strong enough to raise their body off the ground and achieve a high-walk gait.

Well most of them eat any old bobbins; the gharial has had plenty of time to evolve into something much more sophisticated since then. No he doesn’t have an impeccable knowledge of the wines of Bordeaux and he is said to be awful at the Charleston…. he has actually evolved into a remarkably sophisticated fish eater.

Up to six and a half meters long, he is not a wee chap this most aquatic of the crocodilians… what’s more he is really rather suited to the wet stuff. Not surprising then he eats fish, too fast for most crocs, but not for the gharial. That is why he has this huge long thin snout, rammed full of razor sharp teeth. He lies in wait with these toothy swords ajar and when a fishy dishy pops by… snap! The gharial is much faster than his lunking great cousins too, helped by the thin snout which cuts through the water like an oar on its side. If his snappy trap isn’t working he’ll use his flat paddle like tail to slip through the streams, or to whack unsuspecting fish on to the riverbank to scrobble down on.

The male has a ‘pot’ or ‘ghara’ at the end of the snout which grows with maturity. It is used to make hissing noises and apparently is used to blow bubbles which the fillies find quite delightful.

The Difference Between An Alligator And A Crocodile

Here's a bit of interesting trivia for you: All alligatorsare crocodiles, but not all crocodiles are alligators. Sound confusing? It's really not once you look at the taxonomy.

Both alligators and crocodiles are members of the reptilian order Crocodylia. But the families they belong to, Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae respectively, differ. Often, when people use the word "crocodile" what they really mean is "crocodilian." This term encompasses not just the common alligators and crocodiles you might already know, but also the lesser known Gavialidae family that contains the lone gavial, or gharial. All told, there are 23 species of crocodilians.

As a group, crocodilians are pretty impressive animals: Their lineage goes back 240 million years, meaning they've outlived the dinosaurs by a good 65 million years. Ideally suited for life in water and on land, members of the order can swim up to 20 mph (32 kph) and run up to 11 mph (17.6 kph). They're most at home in the water and can hold their breath for up to an hour. Eyes situated atop their heads enable them to keep a lookout for prey, while their powerful tails swiftly propel them through the water.

Crocodiles and alligators are top-notch hunters and will eat just about anything they can get their teeth on, from fish and turtles to monkeys and buffalo. With teeth specialized just for spearing, neither family even bothers to chew its food -- they swallow large chunks or the entire animal whole.

As if that weren't scary enough, crocodilians have incredibly powerful senses to detect their prey. Their eyesight above water is top notch, and thanks to vertical pupils that can open up extra wide to let in additional light, they also have keen night vision. And even though you can't see their ears, don't be fooled -- these small slits are sensitive enough to hear offspring calling from inside their eggs.Even their sense of smell is highly developed due to special organs in their snouts.

Crocodiles make gentle parents

Despite a fearsome repetition as dangerous animals, crocodiles make gentle parents. They construct river-side nest using decaying plant material that generates heat as it decomposes, just like a compost heap at home.

For our African dwarf crocodile, this warmth will incubates the ten or so eggs laid at the start of the African wet season (May to June). The eggs hatch 12-14 weeks later where the young crocs will already be 30cm (12″) long.Unusually for reptiles, crocodiles will vigorously guard their nest and protect the young, rather than abandoning both as common among relatives.

Crocodiles have inhabited the Earth since the age of the dinosaurs, although they were far larger at 15m long (45’) long. They have survived for millions of years using sophisticated adaptations that have fine-tuned their survival and hunting ability.The most obvious (and frightening!) adaptation are a strong propelling tail and powerful jaw, but crocodiles can also sense tiny vibrations of prey moving in the distance and hold their breath for an hour underwater waiting.

While our African dwarf crocodile is usually solitary, many species are even seen working together in teams to ambush prey.Crocodiles are long respected in many cultures and even looked upon as gods. Unfortunately, the smaller size of the African dwarf crocodile makes this species more vulnerable, especially to capture for locally traded ‘bush meat’ (rainforest animals). Luckily, they are not hunted for their skin (hide), which makes poor quality products.

Crocodile Family

Crocodile, common name for any of a number of reptiles in a family of the crocodilian order. The term crocodilian refers to all members of the order, which includes alligators, caimans, and gavials as well as crocodiles.

 
Some members of the crocodile family are the largest living reptiles.The Nile crocodile of Africa was revered by certain ancient Egyptian sects, and mummies of crocodiles have been discovered in Egyptian tombs. In modern times this species has been hunted so extensively that few individuals remain in the lower Nile, but they are still abundant in the upper Nile and southward in Africa to the Cape of Good Hope.The American crocodile, the largest crocodile in the Americas, reaches lengths of about 7 m (about 23 ft) and inhabits a broad range from southern Florida southward, including Cuba and other Caribbean islands, southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

Crocodile eggs are used for food in some parts of the world. The skin is highly valued for leather, and the extract from the musk glands is used in the manufacture of perfumes. Due to overhunting, most crocodiles—including the American crocodile—are considered endangered species.

Scientific classification: Crocodiles belong to the genera Crocodylus,Osteolamus, and Tomistoma of the family Crocodylidae, order Crocodylia. The Indo-Pacific crocodile is classified as Crocodylus porosus, the swamp crocodile as Crocodylus palustris, the Nile crocodile as Crocodylus niloticus, the Cuban crocodile as Crocodylus rhombifer, the Morelet's crocodile as Crocodylus moreletii, the Orinoco crocodile as Crocodylus intermedius, and the American crocodile as Crocodylus acutus.

Different types of Crocodiles

Large scaly-skinned reptile with a long, low body and short legs. Crocodiles can grow up to 7 m/23 ft in length, and have long, powerful tails that propel them when swimming. They are found near swamps, lakes, and rivers in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Central America. They are fierce hunters and active mainly at night. Young crocodiles eat worms and insects, but as they mature they add frogs and small fish to their diet. Adult crocodiles will attack animals the size of antelopes and, occasionally, people. They can live up to 100 years and are related to the alligator and the smaller cayman.

There are 15 species of crocodile, all of them endangered, found in tropical parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central America. The largest is the saltwater (indopacific) crocodile Crocodylus porosus, which can grow to 7 m/23 ft or more, and is found in eastern India, Australia, and the western Pacific, in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. The Nile crocodile C. niloticus is found in Africa and reaches 6 m/20 ft. The American crocodile C. acutus, about 4.6 m/15 ft long, is found from southern Florida to Ecuador. The gavial, or gharial, Gavialis gangeticus is sometimes placed in a family of its own. It is an Indian species that grows to 6.5 m/21 ft or more, and has a very long narrow snout specialized for capturing and eating fish. The Cuban crocodile C. rhombifer has a short snout, grows up to 3.5 m/11.5 ft, and lives in freshwater swamps in Cuba. Morelet's crocodile C. moreletti is found in Central America, where it is overhunted, and grows up to 3.5 m/11.5 ft. Johnston's crocodile C. johnstoni is an Australian crocodile that feeds mainly on fish and reaches up to 3 m/9.75 ft in length. The Siamese crocodile C. siamensis is found in the wild in Cambodia and Laos. These populations consist of only a few hundred crocodile, making the Siamese one of the most endangered crocodile species. The Philippine crocodile C. mindorensis is found in the Philippine Islands and grows to just under 3 m/9.75 ft. C. palustris is an Indian crocodile resembling the Nile crocodile but smaller, reaching up to 4 m/13 ft. The Orinoco crocodile C. intermedius grows up to 6 m/19.5 ft. Tomistoma schlegelli is found in rivers in India and Indochina and grows up to 4 m/13 ft. The African slender-snouted crocodile C. cataphractus grows up to 4 m/13 ft and is found in western and central Africa. Osteolaemus tetraspis, the dwarf crocodile, reaches only 2 m/6.6 ft in length and is found in the tropical forests of west and central Africa. The New Guinea crocodile C. novaguineae reaches 7 m/23 ft in length.

Do You Know The World's Biggest Crocodile?

The biggest crocodile in the world came from the Mary River, Australia. Being nearly 6.19 meters long, he set the record in 1974. The second one was shot in 1983 in Papua New Guinea, with approximately the same size as the first one.

The biggest crocodile that was born in captivity was Yai which means “big”. He was born in 1972 at the Samutprakarn Farm of Crocodiles in Thailand. He was about 6 meters long and weighted about ton and some 115 kg.
The biggest crocodile kept alive was from South Carolina, USA. It happened in 2002. The animal was more than 6 meters long.
There are some claims that the biggest crocodile ever was something between 6.12 and 7 meters long, and this assumption is based upon the skull analysis. This animal was killed in 1926 in Dhamara and the Kanika King kept his skull, which is still being kept by the Kanika family. According to wildlife experts, the skull makes ninth part of the entire crocodile’s body, so following this assumption they calculated the total body length.
There are also some claims that the largest crocodile ever came from the Bengal Bay and was nearly 10 meters long.
An interesting fact is that the crocodile fossils provide the information on the size that would be twice bigger that today living crocodiles. So, maybe that is the period in which we should look for the record. But if we still want to just stick to our own time, then the biggest living crocodile would certainly come from the Crocodylus porosus species.
Some of the large species are quite endangered, such as the Nile crocodile. The American crocodile is also endangered species. And the list is getting longer. The number of endangered large crocodile species is getting higher and higher. Perhaps we should concentrate more on how to preserve them instead of measuring them and looking for record-figures.

Crocodile attacks man in Bangkok floodwaters

Bangkok - A crocodile attacked a man in floodwaters in Bangkok's northern district of Lak Si, leaving him with a bite wound that required 100 stitches, officials said.
'The man is in stable condition,' Bangkok Metroplitan Authority spokesman Jate Sopitpongstorn said.
Arhtit Pansudae, 29, was attacked as he waded through chest-high waters in the market neighbourhood Thursday, the Thai Rath news website reported.
The crocodile was again spotted in the same neighbourhood Friday morning.
'I was taking supplies in a boat to a family stranded on the second floor of their house and they started shouting, 'crocodile, crocodile,'' Lak Si resident Chusak Ruenran told Thai Rath.
'As far as I could see the crocodile was about one and a half metres to two metres long,' he said.
Thailand has been hit by its worst floods in five decades, swamping vast swathes of the central plains and the northern suburbs of Bangkok, the capital.
The floodwaters have also inundated several crocodile farms, allowing scores of the reptiles to escape.
Thailand boasts the world's largest commercial crocodile industry, with more than 20 registered farms and hundreds of smaller, unregistered ones throughout the country.
The giant reptiles are raised for their skins, used to make luxury handbags and shoes, while the meat and blood are exported to other Asian markets where they are believed to be medicinal.

False crocodile panic tourism to the world to the most dangerous beaches

　　
Do these sands belong to the world's most dangerous beach, or is it a crock? 　　Journalists are busy these days -– constant deadlines and industry fat-trimming often places high demands on their time. But let’s not make excuses for mediocrity.
A report published in London’s Telegraph News listing “the world’s most dangerous beaches” included Fraser Island due to its apparent crocodiles. It was labeled a “certified no-go zone.”
It’s turned out to be a crock of lies
Tourism Queensland boss Anthony Hayes told www.news.com the report was “bollocks.”
It seems its source was a bunch Korean tourists, whose photo of a fake, sun-weltered, paint-losing, Styrofoam croc was snapped on the white sands of Fraser Island in 2006. It was given a comical billing in the local Fraser Coast Chronicle.
But with Photoshop, on a slow news day, half a world away and years later, anything can happen.
Fraser, which at 1,840 square kilometers is the world's largest sand island, is also threatened by sharks and box jellyfish, according to the Telegraph News' report.

Crocodile and python

A Burmese python slithering through the Everglades proved that her eyes weren't bigger than her stomach, swallowing intact a 76-pound deer.

At 15.65 feet, the python isn't the largest on record. But the size of her prey both impresses and concerns state and federal wildlife scientists and land managers trying to control the non-native species.

"They are large exotic animals that are not naturally from this area," said Randy Smith, spokesperson for the South Florida Water Management District. "The potential to wreak havoc on the natural Florida wildlife ... they don't have true enemies."

Contractors spraying exotic vegetation Thursday came across the female python on an island about 20 miles from Everglades National Park, Smith told CNN Tuesday. It was dispatched, by protocol, with a single shotgun blast to the head.

A necropsy conducted by Everglades National Park wildlife biologists showed the python had a girth of 44.1 inches after devouring the adult female deer. The snake normally weighed 139 pounds.

Officials Tuesday said they are trying to determine the age and health of the deer.

"We see them on a regular basis," Smith said of pythons. "We've dispatched hundreds of these in the past few years."

The menu for Burmese, rock and African pythons includes rodents, birds or smaller snakes. In 2005, a python apparently busted its gut after it had consumed a 6-foot alligator.

Some of the snakes may have escaped enclosures after Hurricane Andrew's widespread destruction in 1992.

But there's a more likely cause for the problem.

"Obviously, some of these were pets," Smith said. When people realize they are going to grow up to be much larger than they expected, they often release the creatures into the wild.

That's the worst thing you can do, officials said.

Management and park officials have tried trapping, but that's largely failed.

Scientists and park managers are studying the exotic reptiles' breeding habits and pinpointing their locations to devise a strategy for controlling them.

"It's not meant to be successful in this habitat," Linda Friar, spokeswoman for Everglades National Park, said of the Burmese python. "We don't have any idea how many there are. This is the biggest (one) we have ever dealt with."

The giant reptiles compete with alligators and crocodiles.

Although pythons have been found in or near some residential areas west of Miami, there have been no reports of injuries to people, Smith said.

Friar said invasive fish species, such as walking catfish and lionfish, are an even bigger problem in southern Florida.