Learn Some Interesting Facts About Crocodiles

Crocodiles are reptiles from the family of crocodilians, which actually also includes, the alligators, caimans and the Indian Gharial. Crocodiles are generally traced back to the Cretaceous as well as the Triassic period. Crocodilians, in general, are animals of elongated body as well as a long tail, lengthy jaws through which they show a great number of sharp conical teeth (typically 28 to 32 teeth in the top jaw and 30-40 teeth in lower jaw). In crocodiles, the muzzle is narrower in the end, with the 4th tooth on both sides of the lower jaw exposed when the mouth closes.

The crocodiles are semi-aquatic creatures (they will spend a great deal of time in water, but additionally require go to shore for basking) who, depending on species, will be found in rivers, estuaries, coastal regions as well as in the open sea. They swim, frequently on the surface with eyes as well as nostrils along the water line and move their own body using the strong tail.

The Crocodiles are carnivores, and among them, are large hunters such as the Nile Crocodile as well as the Saltwater crocodile. The saltwater crocodile is definitely the biggest reptile in existence, because it may well attain seven meters long and more than 1 tonne (1000 kg) in weight.

As young they feed on smaller animals (insects, fish, frogs), but as they get bigger they begin hunting animals ever bigger, until the size of a big antelope.

Just like the other reptiles, crocodiles are endothermic (cold-blooded, or whose body temperature varies with the temperature of the environment) and, as a result, need to sunbathe, to raise the temperature of the body. If it is overheating, they would prefer water or shade when available.

Crocodiles are oviparous (they reproduce using eggs which are deposited outside of the female's womb) and are the only reptiles that show true parental care. Therefore, almost all the crocodiles construct nests, by using heaps of dirt or plant debris, the remaining species of crocodiles dig burrows on the sand banks of rivers as well as beaches. Females, in general, and occasionally the male remains nearby to guard the eggs from predators.

Before the hatching, the young will emit vocalizations (sounds), to which the female responds simply by scooping the top of the nest, to help them out the eggs after which it will occasionally hold the young in her mouth and take them to the water, protecting them subsequently in certain cases during weeks or months. Upon birth the juvenile will measure only approximately 20 centimeters.

Man is an important enemy for all crocodile species through their hunt for the skin trade, in addition to the devastation of their natural habitat.

Crocodiles are truly breathtaking creatures, that in fact play a vital role in their Eco-systems. Therefore they should be protected and saved. We must discover how to live in the crocodile world as they have lived on this planet for the preceding 2 hundred million years, and that's much longer than mankind.

The author invites you to find out more about some other crocodile species like the Saltwater Crocodile or find out more about the legendary Gustave Crocodile, Burundi's man eater.

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Killer Crocodiles - How One Man Campaigned For Their Survival

Crocodiles have become big business - for the tourist industry and for handbag manufacturers.

These days you can fly into Northern Australia and be treated to a variety of nerve-tingling thrills. On the Adelaide River, just south of Darwin in the Northern Territory, several operators offer close encounters with the hungry monsters.

They dangle pieces of meat off the side of open boats and up leap the crocs to enjoy their lunch, their massive snapping jaws only inches away from the tourists.

At Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin you can enter the Cage of Death, a transparent acrylic box which is lowered into the enclosures of three giant crocodiles. If they are in a bad mood, watch out!

These days thousands of the saurians are farmed for their prized skins and for their meat too. Australia has awakened to the fact that these primeval creatures are not a curse but an asset.

That's quite a change from the time when I lived in Australia's wild north and became friendly with a pioneer in crocodile farming.

Ron Pawlowski and his wife Kris emigrated to Australia from their native Poland after suffering hardship and hair-raising adventures during World War Two. Good training for the tough life in the Outback.

As a new and penniless immigrant, Ron did everything from gold-prospecting to kangaroo hunting. Then the couple based themselves in a remote corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and became expert crocodile-hunters.

In 1957 Kris, a first-class shot, killed a monster, 28 feet four inches long, the biggest croc ever bagged in Australia. All manner of far-fetched stories have circulated about monster crocodiles, but in this case there appears to be no doubt about the facts.

Kris's feat made her famous and won her a mention in the Guinness Book of Records. She noted: "I would never shoot one like that again. It was such a magnificent specimen."

Altogether the Pawlowskis shot up to 10,000 salt-water crocodiles, which they sold for their skins. They became legends - and then conservationists, as they realised that the species was endangered.

They started campaigning for the protection of the crocodiles and for the establishment of farms where the reptiles could be raised for their prized skins.

But they were before their time and could get no support from the politicians ruling the state of Queensland. They were forced to give up their own croc farm.

Ron continued his campaign, even giving evidence before members of Australia's parliament. Finally, the national government ordered both salt-water and fresh-water species to be protected

Numbers have swollen dramatically. Crocodile-rearing farms have been established all over the north and are reaping big profits.

If you visit Australia and get to see one of the croc farms, remember the man who helped to save the saurian, Ron Pawlowski, an indomitable survivor of the horrors of war who built a new life in a new land - and made a difference.

Today he lives peacefully in the resort of Cairns, handy for those who want to visit the Barrier Reef.

Journalist and author David Baird wrote a book about his experiences in northern Australia, title The Incredible Gulf. He has worked for publications all over the world. He is now based in Spain. His book Between Two Fires - Guerrilla War in the Spanish sierras has won praise from leading historians. His latest books are works of fiction, Typhoon Season, a nerve-tingling thriller set in Hong Kong, and Don't Miss The Fiesta!, passion and adventure played out in southern Spain. More information at the Maroma Press website, http://maromapress.wordpress.com/

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