Table of Contents
What makes crocodile special?
Crocodiles have powerful jaws with many conical teeth and short legs with clawed webbed toes. They share a unique body form that allows the eyes, ears, and nostrils to be above the water surface while most of the animal is hidden below. The tail is long and massive, and the skin is thick and plated.
What special adaptations do crocodiles have?
There are special bony flaps in the throat which allow a crocodile to eat when submerged or breathe when its jaws are open underwater. Crocodilians, being cold-blooded reptiles, have to avoid extremes of temperature. When it is fairly cool, they rest on a waterside bank, allowing the sun to warm their body.
What can crocodiles do?
They can swim up to 20 mph (32 kph) and can hold their breath underwater for around one hour. On land, crocodiles aren’t nearly as fast. They can only run up to 11 mph (17.6 kph) for a short distance. It is illegal to hunt crocodiles for their skin.
What is special about a crocodiles heart?
Crocodilians have a unique heart that shares anatomical features with reptiles, birds and mammals. The crocodilian heart has four chambers with two atria and two ventricles, the same as birds and mammals. The result is that less oxygen is carried to the body through arterial circulation.
Can crocodiles cry?
Crocodiles do indeed shed tears. These tears contain proteins and minerals. The tears help keep the eye clean and lubricate the nictitating membrane, the translucent extra eyelid found in many animals.
Do crocodiles have a heart?
Crocodilians have a four-chambered heart – just like people! And just like the circulatory system in people, the heart takes in deoxygenated blood from the body, sends it to the lungs to become oxygenated, the blood comes back to the heart, where it will then be pumped to the rest of the body.
How many hearts does a crocodile have?
The crocodilian has perhaps the most complex vertebrate circulatory system. It has a four-chambered heart and two ventricles, an unusual trait among extant reptiles, and both a left and right aorta which are connected by a hole called the Foramen of Panizza.
What kind of body does a crocodile have?
Crocodiles have powerful jaws with many conical teeth and short legs with clawed webbed toes. They share a unique body form that allows the eyes, ears, and nostrils to be above the water surface while most of the animal is hidden below. The tail is long and massive, and the skin is thick and plated.
What kind of protection does a crocodile have?
All large crocodiles also have sharp and powerful claws. Crocodiles have limited lateral movement in their neck, therefore, on land protection can be found by getting even a small tree between the crocodiles jaws and oneself. Size greatly varies between species, from the Dwarf Crocodile to the enormous Saltwater Crocodile.
How are crocodilians used in the real world?
Many crocodilian species have been greatly depleted by overhunting for their valuable skins—which provide leather for handbags, shoes, belts, and other articles. Local use of crocodiles for meat and medicines is also widespread.
How does a crocodile communicate with other crocodiles?
Crocodiles vocalize to communicate. The young of some species squeak and grunt, while adult crocs can growl, hiss or roar at each other. Many species will also respond to other noises, such as engine noise, gun shots or even people mimicking crocodiles.