All you need to know about crocodiles. Interesting facts about crocodiles

Perhaps, one of the most controversial animals on earth is a crocodile. Someone thinks it is terrible and bloodthirsty, someone thinks that it is useful, and some are absolutely sure that these reptiles are the real descendants of dinosaurs living in our time. We all know interesting facts about crocodiles, which are hard to believe. Let's figure out where the truth is, and where the fiction.

Who is a crocodile?

Crocodile is a predatory carnivorous water reptile. It lives in a tropical and subtropical climate. Meet them is possible on all continents, except Europe and Antarctica. Most of the life of the crocodile is in the water. They love warm muddy water bodies, slow flowing rivers, lakes, swamps. All that crocodiles can get, - they can serve for dinner. A prey may be different - this is a small fishes from the reservoirs, and large mammals that come to the watering place. Life expectancy of crocodiles reaches 100 years. They begin to multiply at the age of 6-8 years.

The serpentologist is a very interesting profession. People of this specialty know everything about crocodiles and other reptiles. It is their task to study the varieties of these dangerous animals.

The most common types of crocodiles

Nowadays 23 kinds of crocodiles live in rivers and lakes. All of them are divided into three families:

• Crocodile - the most numerous family. It includes 14 species of these amphibian reptiles. It is to this family that all the famous Nile crocodile belong. Interesting facts and horror stories about crocodiles living in the largest river of Africa, even scare the daredevils.
• Alligator. This family includes two types of alligators and six types of caimans. In fact, alligators are different from crocodiles and caimans, although many do not see the difference.
• Gavial. In the composition of this family, only one species is the Gangi Gavial.

What is dangerous crocodile?

Is it true that crocodiles need to be feared? Are they as dangerous as they look? Or maybe "fear has eyes big", and all the terrible stories about these reptiles are fiction?

In fact, the crocodile is a powerful animal with huge teeth and lightning-fast reaction, but it does not hunt people specifically. These reptiles can only harm those who invade their territory. Their attacks are often defensive in nature. All about crocodiles, as for their bloodthirstiness and danger to man, is exaggerated at times, but still makes sense. You need to be extremely careful when dealing with them, especially if such communication does not take place on your territory.

Interesting facts about crocodiles

Appearance, threat and danger of these reptiles always aroused increased interest. These amphibians have many amazing features:

• Unexpectedly, but crocodiles know how to climb trees. Zoologists often noticed them on the branches of trees. And they can climb up to a height of 2.5 m.
• Legend has it that a crocodile, when he eats a person, cries, feeling guilty. This is partly true - you can see tears from a crocodile, but only they appear when he eats any meat, and are not connected with an awakened conscience, but with a physiological feature. Thus, from the organism of a reptile, an excess of salts is excreted.
• The crocodile has 24 teeth. They change throughout life. Instead of a lost tooth, a new one must grow, and so it can be repeated many times.
• A crocodile can jump out of the water to a height of up to two meters.
• You can often see reptiles lying on the shore with an eerily open mouth. This is done to cool the body.
• Crocodylus porosus is the largest crocodile. The length of his body reaches 7 meters, and weight - 1 ton. You can meet him in the northern part of the Australian continent and in India.
• Newborn crocodiles are easy prey. 99% of them are eaten by adults of their own species and other predatory animals.

The most common myths about crocodiles

Not always interesting facts about crocodiles are true. It happens that the widespread information about this or that feature of these reptiles is simply fictitious.

There is an opinion that birds, trying to find food, sharp beaks clean the crocodile teeth from the remains of food. In fact, in the wild nature, such a symbiosis was not noticed, and the information that many thought was true was fiction.

Another fiction concerns crocodile language. There is an opinion that these reptiles simply do not have it. As you could guess, this is not true. Every crocodile has a language, and it's very big. It's just that these reptiles can not exalt it. The reason for this is an anatomical feature: the tongue is attached along the entire length of the lower jaw of the crocodile. This is how this reptile is deprived, so it's lips. They are really missing from the crocodile, so it can not completely cover the mouth and sharp teeth are always in sight.

Anyone who believes that crocodiles run fast, too, is mistaken. The body structure of this reptile simply does not give the opportunity to develop a speed greater than 10 km / h.

Crocodiles on TV

Interesting facts about crocodiles (of course, fictional) can be learned from cartoons.

Perhaps the most famous crocodile "from the TV" is considered to be Gen. The same friend Cheburashka. This is a kind and shy crocodile, which can not be imagined without his beloved accordion. With his songs, he cheers up more than one generation of kids.

Recently appeared a whole computer game, dedicated to the cute and benevolent crocodile - "Crocodile Swoopy". He is very clean and always tries to wash himself. This crocodile has become so popular that a multiseries animated series with the same name was shot about it.

In the well-known verses of Korney Chukovsky, the crocodile is still a villain, because he swallowed the sun. But like in any fairy tale, it all ended well. This story also deserved to be removed from the cartoon.

Horror about crocodiles is most often shown in feature films. Reptiles there are not so kind and friendly. There are many films, the main character of which is the crocodile. Interesting facts for children in them you will not see, but for adults viewing promises to be entertaining. "Predatory waters", "Lake of fear", "Alligator" - these are just some of the many horror films about crocodiles.