What is the crocodile habitat?
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What is the crocodile habitat?
Habitat All crocodiles have special glands in their tongues that can get rid of excess salt, so they tend to live in saltwater habitats such as mangrove swamps and estuaries. Alligators do not have these glands, so they prefer to live in freshwater habitats.
What is the special feature of the crocodile?
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.
Why are crocodiles called crocodiles?
Etymology. The word crocodile comes from the Ancient Greek krokdilos (u03bau03c1u03bfu03bau03ccu03b4u03b9u03bbu03bfu03c2) meaning lizard, used in the phrase ho krokdilos tou potamoxfa, the lizard of the (Nile) river.
Is a crocodile a land animal?
All crocodiles are tropical species that unlike alligators, are very sensitive to cold. Crocodiles (subfamily Crocodylinae) or true crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.
What is the habitat of a crocodile for kids?
Crocodiles are found in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Most live in swamps, lakes, and rivers in hot and warm regions. Some types live in the ocean. Although they spend most of their time in water, they also travel on land.
What is the habitat and the food of crocodile?
All crocodiles are semiaquatic and tend to congregate in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water and saltwater.
What is special about the crocodile 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. Pretty straightforward.
Do crocodiles have special abilities?
All crocodiles have very strong jaws and bites the strongest of all animals. On a large Nile crocodile, this can be over 3,700 lbs of force. They leap and grab onto their prey using their many teeth and hold on tight. They will drown larger prey to kill it.
What are the features of a saltwater crocodile?
Young saltwater crocodiles are pale yellow with black stripes and spots found on the body and tail. Adults are darker with light tan to gray areas. The ventral surface is white or yellow in color, and stripes are present on the lower sides of the body but do not extend to the belly. The tail is gray with dark bands.
What are some features of alligator?
Characteristics. The American alligator is the largest reptile in North America. It has a long, armored body with thick scales or bony plates called osteoderms or scutes.It has short, powerful legs and a long, round snout
How did crocodiles get their name?
The crocodile gets its name from the Greeks who observed them in the Nile river. The Greeks called them krokodilos, a compound word from kroke, which means pebbles and drilos, which means worm.
Why are alligators not called crocodiles?
Alligators and crocodiles are from the same scientific order, but from different families. They are both members of the Crocodylia, but crocodiles are from the Crocodylidae family, while alligators come from the Alligatordae family
What are crocodiles called?
Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both /kru0252ku0259u02c8du026aliu0259/) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians.
Can a crocodile mate with an alligator?
Question: Can alligators and crocodiles mate? Answer: No, they cant. Although they look similar, they are genetically too far apart. Although related, they split into separate genera a long time ago.
Is crocodile land or water animal?
crocodile, (order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia), any of 23 species of generally large, ponderous, amphibious animals of lizard-like appearance and carnivorous habit belonging to the reptile order Crocodylia. Crocodiles have powerful jaws with many conical teeth and short legs with clawed webbed toes.
Can a crocodile live on land?
While crocodiles spend most of their time in water, they can come out and move around on the land. Crocodiles cannot breathe underwater: they breathe air, just like people.
Is a crocodile a land?
It is a relatively terrestrial species with agile locomotion on land, and sometimes displays terrestrial hunting. The snout is broad with a thick upper-jaw and large teeth.
Where do crocodiles live in water or land?
Today, crocodiles are found in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. They normally live near lakes, rivers, wetlands and even some saltwater regions. Crocodiles live in tropical climates because they are cold-blooded and cannot generate their own heat.
What is a crocodiles habitat?
Habitat All crocodiles have special glands in their tongues that can get rid of excess salt, so they tend to live in saltwater habitats such as mangrove swamps and estuaries. Alligators do not have these glands, so they prefer to live in freshwater habitats.
What are the habits of a crocodile?
Crocodiles are mostly nocturnal animals. They are predators and spend most of their time in the water; although they are also known to make journeys of several kilometres over land. In the first weeks of life, crocodiles eat insects, crustaceans, snails, small fishes, frogs, and tadpoles.
What is Crocodile facts for kids?
Crocodiles have the strongest bite of any animal in the world. The muscles that open crocodiles jaws however are not so powerful, reasonably strong people could hold a crocodiles jaw closed with their bare hands. Like other reptiles, crocodiles are cold-blooded. Crocodiles can survive for a long time without food.