Crocodilians
Of all reptiles crocodiles are my only favourite, the rest give me the creeps! Weirdly you would see considering Crocodilians are an apex predator causing more damage to the humans than any other reptiles. I may not like other reptiles but l respect them . Snakes and lizards scare me but l know they only attack when provoked. But they give me the creeps. I don’t mind turtles too. However l sm fascinated by crocodilians so hence we going to talk about them.
As we all know crocodilians have been there forever long before the dinosaurs for about 240 million years. We also know they live and thrive on swamps ,rivers, marshes, and other warm water areas!. Crocs love sleeping or pretending to be dead lol. They sleep longer on land because there they don’t have to worry about breathing but they can sleep easily under water. But they always sleep close to water!
Currently there are 23 different types of crocodile species have been identified and classified in the reptile order – Crocodilia. There are 5 of these that can be found in Africa.These are Nile,Dwarf, Osborned Dwarf, West African Slender-Snouted andthe Central African Slender -Snouted crocodiles.
The strongest of a crocodile ever recorded was that of a the Saltwater Crocodile with a bite force of 3700 pounds and are up to 17 metres with a tooth of 350 ,000 pounds per square inch. In Africa though the largest crocodile recorded was found in Mwanza, Tanzania. It’s was 6.5 meters (21 ft2 inches) and weighed about,1089 kgs (2400ib) on total length actofito Cite ,1961
In rankings the first 4 of the Crocodile I’d of as follows 1. Saltwater Crocodile 2. Nile Crocodile 3. American Crocodile 4. Orinoco Crocodile in terms of weight and size.
According to a 2022 report done Central Africa has the largest population of the Nile Crocodile while the South East Asian island of Borneo has the largest population of Estiarine Crocodiles.
Crocodile and Hippos generally live with each other peacefully unless there is lack of water or hippos are feeling meaty and want some meat caught by Crocodiles. They don’t fight also because Hippos generally don’t eat meat so no reason to fight beside a hippo van easily cut a crocodile in half.So crocodiles know it’s foolhardy to fight with hippos but when it dies on its own they enjoy the feast.
In the event of an attack by the crocodile the advisable thing is to poke it’s eyes because that’s the only vulnerable spot and they know it so they let go very fast.
Make sure it’s before it drags you under water because once it does it’s deadly twist and drowns you it’s game over. I believe people should leave crocodiles be though. We are the most threat to them because of illegal hunting and Habitat Destruction.
The saltwater crocodile is responsible for approximately 2500 deaths every year. They have a wide range of habitats, including India’s east coast, northern Australia, Sundaic regions, and Micronesia. Despite being classed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN, this crocodile is threatened by illegal hunting for skins. Saltwater crocodiles are the largest, measuring up to 21 feet long and weighing over 2900 pounds. This opportunistic and hypercarnivorous ambush predator is also known as the estuary crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile, or saltie. They may kill sharks once they enter their territory and feed on pelagic species, fish species, crabs, reptiles, birds, mammals, and even people.
Based on fossil evidence, the longest crocodile ever to live was a Sarcosuchus imperator, who measured 40 feet long and weighed 17,600 pounds. The largest one ever officially measured was Lolong, who was a saltwater crocodile that measured 20 feet three inches long and weighed 2,370 pounds.There is a report that says one Nile Crocodile ate between 200 or 300 people in it’s lifetime it was called Gustavo and found in Ruzizi river and Tanganyika (Tanzania) Burundi. Am sure they’re new recording these days! The Nile Crocodile is the most popular crocodile species in the world. Primarily freshwater habitats in Africa and they prefer to live in several aquatic environments, including brackish lakes, delta rivers, swamps, and marshlands.
According to fossil evidence, the longest crocodile ever to exist was a Sarcosuchus imperator, which measured 40 feet long and weighed 17,600 pounds. Lolong, a saltwater crocodile, was the largest ever officially measured, measuring 20 feet three inches long and weighing 2,370 pounds.
The American Crocodile has a tolerance to saltwater due to their salt glands under their tongue. As a result, they thrive in saltwater swamps, lagoons, islets, lays, and small islands. Weighing up to 2000 lbs, American crocodiles are dangerous to humans.
The Australian Freshwater Crocodile is also known as Johnstone’s crocodile or freshie. These freshies are endemic to the northern region of the Australian continent. Diet-wise these freshwater crocodiles do not prefer humans, so not-man-eaters; however, they can deliver a nasty bite in self-defense if within their vicinity. They are also saltwater tolerate and dine on fish, birds, mammals and reptiles.
The Black Caiman is another enormous crocodile, along with the American crocodile growing up to 20 feet in length. This carnivorous reptile prefers to habitat on the slow-moving rivers, lakes, Amazon basin, and other freshwater habitats of South America. Juveniles start with white and yellow pale banding on the flanks, and it turns into almost black as an adult, hence the name. Black caimans have a generalist diet as apex predators and can take virtually any terrestrial and riparian animals in their territory. Sometimes, they cannibalize juveniles of their own kind.
The West African slender-snouted crocodile is medium-sized with a very long, slender snout used to catch fish. They prefer to habitat in dense, vegetated bodies of freshwater. Currently, IUCN has given the status of Critically Endangered due to the declining population.
The African Dwarf Crocodile is an African crocodile, and it is the smallest living freshwater crocodile species. It’s also called the Bony crocodile. The dwarf crocodile is mainly nocturnal and timid; they hide in the pools or borrows during the daytime. Dwarf crocs tend to feed on fish, crabs, frogs, insects, lizards, water birds, bats, and more as generalist predators. Dwarf crocodiles can be spotted in tropical regions of Sub-Sharan West Africa and Central Africa countries, including Senegal and Uganda.
The Orinoco Crocodiles can be found only in freshwater regions, particularly in Colombia and Venezuela around the Orinoco River and its surroundings. These are critically endangered crocodiles due to extensive hunting for their skins in the last 200 years. Orinoco crocodiles are primarily piscivorous (i.e., fish-eater), but they can also prey on other caimans. These dig holes on the ground to lay their eggs, similar to the Nile or other saltwater crocodiles.
The Philippine Crocodile is also called Mindoro crocodile, Bukarot, or Buwaya. Endemic to the Philippines, it is one of the two Filipino crocodiles. Critically endangered due to over-exploitation and unsustainable fishing methods, these golden-brown freshwater bukarots are conserved by the Mabuwaya foundation.
That’s enough for today hopefully you learnt a thing or two and help us stop the unnecessary killings of this apex predator.
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