The Crocodile
Habitat
The crocodile is a large aquatic tetrapod that is estimated to have appeared on the earth about 230 million years ago. Crocodiles are current inhabitants Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. They typically reside near swamps, lakes, and rivers. Crocodiles typically favor a warm, tropical climate. This is because they are cold-blooded creatures and cannot thermoregulate physiologically, so they must do so behaviorally, necessitating their reliance on the environment (sunlight, air, and water) to regulate their body temperatures (National Geographic).
Appearance
Crocodiles are generally described as resembling large, prehistoric lizards. The animals vary in color, existing in shades of tan, gray, green, and brown. They have several distinctive features, including a streamlined body, a long tail and strong jaws equipped with a total of 50 sharp teeth than are replaced up to 80 times within their lifetime. While all crocodiles share many defining characteristics, variation does occur among appearances across the 23 species that have been identified to date. Perhaps the most extreme variation is in size; while the dwarf crocodile typically reaches a maximum size of 5 meters, the saltwater crocodile can grow up to lengths of 23 meters and weigh 4,400 lb (National Geographic).
Senses
Crocodiles are equipped with a combination of strong senses that contribute to their hunting success. In addition to sensitive hearing, they have excellent eyesight above the water. The position of their eyes on top of their head allows for efficient prey stalking when above water. Furthermore, crocodiles have excellent night vision because of their vertical pupil shape, which lets in a far greater amount of light than a round pupil shape allows (San Diego Zoo).
Diet and Feeding Behavior
All crocodiles are carnivores and feast on a diet typically comprised of invertebrates, reptiles, birds, small fish, and mammals. The animals do not chew their food, but instead tear off large pieces of flesh or swallow their prey whole. In the swallowing process the crocodile must toss its head back so that the food can slide down its throat. While crocodiles can survive for months between meals, some species of crocodile can consume up to half of their body weight in one meal (San Diego Zoo).
In addition to the variety of prey mentioned above that the animals consume, curiously enough many crocodilian species have been observed swallowing stones as well. Why do crocodiles perform this crazy behavior? Does it benefit the animals in any way, or is it simply just a useless habit? This website will further investigate this behavior and will attempt to answer these questions.
References
The Crocodile. (No date). National Geographic. [Online]. Available: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/rept-iles/american-crocodile/
Reptiles: Crocodilian. (No date). San Diego Zoo. [Online]. Available: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/crocodilian
Habitat
The crocodile is a large aquatic tetrapod that is estimated to have appeared on the earth about 230 million years ago. Crocodiles are current inhabitants Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. They typically reside near swamps, lakes, and rivers. Crocodiles typically favor a warm, tropical climate. This is because they are cold-blooded creatures and cannot thermoregulate physiologically, so they must do so behaviorally, necessitating their reliance on the environment (sunlight, air, and water) to regulate their body temperatures (National Geographic).
Appearance
Crocodiles are generally described as resembling large, prehistoric lizards. The animals vary in color, existing in shades of tan, gray, green, and brown. They have several distinctive features, including a streamlined body, a long tail and strong jaws equipped with a total of 50 sharp teeth than are replaced up to 80 times within their lifetime. While all crocodiles share many defining characteristics, variation does occur among appearances across the 23 species that have been identified to date. Perhaps the most extreme variation is in size; while the dwarf crocodile typically reaches a maximum size of 5 meters, the saltwater crocodile can grow up to lengths of 23 meters and weigh 4,400 lb (National Geographic).
Senses
Crocodiles are equipped with a combination of strong senses that contribute to their hunting success. In addition to sensitive hearing, they have excellent eyesight above the water. The position of their eyes on top of their head allows for efficient prey stalking when above water. Furthermore, crocodiles have excellent night vision because of their vertical pupil shape, which lets in a far greater amount of light than a round pupil shape allows (San Diego Zoo).
Diet and Feeding Behavior
All crocodiles are carnivores and feast on a diet typically comprised of invertebrates, reptiles, birds, small fish, and mammals. The animals do not chew their food, but instead tear off large pieces of flesh or swallow their prey whole. In the swallowing process the crocodile must toss its head back so that the food can slide down its throat. While crocodiles can survive for months between meals, some species of crocodile can consume up to half of their body weight in one meal (San Diego Zoo).
In addition to the variety of prey mentioned above that the animals consume, curiously enough many crocodilian species have been observed swallowing stones as well. Why do crocodiles perform this crazy behavior? Does it benefit the animals in any way, or is it simply just a useless habit? This website will further investigate this behavior and will attempt to answer these questions.
References
The Crocodile. (No date). National Geographic. [Online]. Available: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/rept-iles/american-crocodile/
Reptiles: Crocodilian. (No date). San Diego Zoo. [Online]. Available: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/crocodilian