Crocodile －鳄鱼

A Limerick about Crocodiles

The animal I've chosen is a crocodile,

They live in Egypt and can be found in the Nile.

They have a tail that is long,

And also pretty strong,

And a bight that is much worse than their smile.

Al-Baraa

Life Cycle of a Crocodile

My animal called crocodile, There are so many varieties of crocodiles in the world with a variety of names like: American Crocodile with thier big mouths. Crocodiles belong to the family of crocodilian and are cold blooded therefore reptiles. Crocodiles are from the group is often spelled 'Crocodylia' for consistency with the genus Crocodylus (Laurenti, 1768). The original name as published by Richard Owen in 1842 had the -i- spelling, more accurately Latinizing the Greek κροκόδειλος (crocodeilos), which means both lizard and Nile Crocodile. Crocodiles can be found in three continents; Australia, Africa and America. Size greatly varies between species, from the dwarf crocodile to the saltwater crocodile. Species of Osteolaemus grow to an adult size of just 1.5 m (4.9 ft) to 1.9 m (6.2 ft), whereas the saltwater crocodile can grow to sizes over 7 m (23 ft) and weigh 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Several other large species can reach over 5.2 m (17 ft) long and weigh over 900 kg (2,000 lb). Crocodilians show pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males growing much larger and more rapidly than females. Despite their large adult sizes, crocodiles start their lives at around 20 cm (7.9 in) long. The largest species of crocodile is the saltwater crocodile, found in eastern India, northern Australia, throughout South-east Asia, and in the surrounding waters.

The largest crocodile ever held in captivity is an estuarine–Siamese hybrid named Yai (Thai: ใหญ่, meaning big) (born 10 June 1972) at the Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo, Thailand. This animal measures 6 m (20 ft) in length and weighs 1,114.27 kg (2,456.5 lb).[24]The longest crocodile captured alive is Lolong, which was measured at 6.17 m (20.24 ft) and weighed at 1,075 kg (2,370 lb) by a National Geographic team in Agusan del Sur Province, Philippines.

The easiest way to distinguish the difference crocodiles and alligators are listed below:

Crocodiles:

Crocodiles have a longer, more V-shaped head then alligators.
The fourth tooth of a crocodile sticks out when its mouth is closed.
Crocodiles are better adapted to living in seawater.
Crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators.
Crocodiles tend to have a lighter appearance than alligators.
Crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world while alligators are only found in the US and China.

Alligators:

Alligators have shorter, wider heads that are more U-shaped than crocodiles.
Alligators strongly favor freshwater while some species of crocodile live in seawater.
Alligators are less aggressive than crocodiles.
Alligators tend to have a darker appearance than crocodiles.
Alligators in the wild are only found in the US and China while crocodiles are found all over the world.

Crocodiles start of as eggs, then become which are either laid in hole or mound nests, depending on species. A hole nest is usually excavated in sand and a mound nest is usually constructed out of vegetation. Nesting period ranges from a few weeks up to six months. Courtship takes place in a series of behavioral interactions that include a variety of snout rubbing and submissive display that can take a long time. Mating always takes place in water, where the pair can be observed mating several times. Females can build or dig several trial nests which appear incomplete and abandoned later. Egg laying usually takes place at night and about 30–40 minutes. Females are highly protective of their nests and young. The egg are hard shelled but translucent at the time of egg-laying. Depending on the species crocodile, a number of 7-95 eggs are laid. Crocodile embryos do not have sex chromosomes, and unlike humans, sex is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature, where at 30 °C (86 °F) or less most hatchlings are females and at 31 °C (88 °F), offspring are of both sexes. A temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) to 33 °C (91 °F) gives mostly males whereas above 33 °C (91 °F) in some species continues to give males but in other species resulting in females, which are sometimes called as high-temperature females. Temperature also affects growth and survival rate of the young, which may explain the sexual dimorphism in crocodiles. The average incubation period is around 80 days, and also is dependent on temperature and species that usually ranges from 65 to 95 days. At the time of hatching, the young start calling within the eggs. They have an egg-tooth at the tip of their snouts, which is developed from the skin, helps them pierce out of the shell. Hearing the calls, he female usually excavates the nest and sometimes takes the unhatched eggs in her mouth, slowly rolling the eggs to help the process. The young is usually carried to the water in the mouth. A group of hatchlings is called a pod or crèche and may be protected for months.

There are 4 stages first is an egg second he will be about 11cm, and three he can eat some meat because he grow sharp tooth so he can eat meat and he become a Adult. When he in a egg is 4mm but when he is big and strong the nermle one is 3m but the biggest one is 5m. Crocodile eggs take anywhere from 55 days to 110 days to hatch, depending on the egg. Frist cycle stay in the egg second cycle is hatch the egg three cycle is stay in his mother last cycle is become an adult. The oldest crocodiles live to about 100 year old in Africa, but the 3m long is 50years old. Crocodiles are under threat from Hunters, snakes and other crocodiles especially when young. Other crocodiles kill crocodiles, are the apex pretators of thier environment, they will eat any and every animal.