Agatha Crocodile Ranch
Some Interesting Facts About Our Crocodiles:
Here are some interesting crocodile facts provided by Agatha Crocodile Ranch:
Agatha Crocodile Ranch - Crocodile Facts:
- We have approximately 220 Nile crocodiles in one enclosure.
- Our biggest crocodile, Rufus, is 4,2 meters tall and about 49 years old.
- Some of our 'Living Legends' include Stompie, Milan, Rufus, John and Linky.
- Agatha Crocodile Ranch was started with two crocodiles given to the owner as a present.
- Our crocodiles are between 3 and 4,2 meters long.
More Facts About the Nile Crocodile:
- Nile crocodiles are found throughout Africa.
- Obviously crocodiles are carnivores.
- The Nile crocodile has a dark bronze colouration above with black spots on the back and a dirty yellow colour on the belly.
- Nile crocodiles can get up to 5 meters long.
- An adult Nile crocodile can weigh 500 to 600 kilograms.
- A Nile crocodile's age span is between 70 and 90 years.
- Newly born crocodiles are between 15 and 20 cm long.
- The incubation temperatures determine the crocodile's sex. If the incubation temperature is above 30° Celsius a male is born. If the incubation temperature is below 30° Celsius a female will be born.
- A female crocodile can lay between 20 and 80 eggs, depending on her size.
- Newly laid eggs take 3 months to hatch.
- The female crocodile digs a hole in the soil to lay her eggs. Without leaving the nest to eat, she stands guard for 3 months until the eggs have hatched.
- A crocodile can hibernate between 5 to 6 months without the need of any food.
- A crocodile stores fat in its tail. During hibernation they feed from the fat in their tails.
- A crocodile can stay underwater for up to an hour without the need to catch some breath.
- A Nile crocodile only starts breeding between the age of 10 and 13.
- A crocodile has very good hearing.
- An adult crocodile has a bite force of approximately 22kN (Kilo Newton).
- A crocodile has 64 to 68 cone-shaped teeth.
- During the mating season the male crocodiles snap their snouts in the water, blow water from their snouts and make a variety of noises to attract attention from the females.
- When the female has been attracted, the pair rubs the undersides of their jaws together.
- Female crocodiles lay their eggs about 1 month after mating.
The Main Differences Between an Alligator and a Crocodile:
- The most obvious difference between an alligator and crocodile is the shape of the jaw. An alligator has a u-shaped jaw while the crocodile has a v-shaped jaw.
- An alligator's lower jaw is shorter than its upper jaw. When an alligator closes its jaws the teeth are hidden inside the mouth. A crocodile's upper and lower jaws are the same length. When they close their jaws, some of their teeth are sticking out of the sides of their jaws.
- Alligators and crocodiles are from the same family.
- There are some other differences between crocodiles and alligators that are less obvious.
More Facts About Alligators and Crocodiles -
Source: Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). The term can also be used more loosely to include all members of the order Crocodilia: i.e. the true crocodiles, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae) and the gharials (family Gavialidae), or even the Crocodylomorpha which includes prehistoric crocodile relatives and ancestors. Crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes on invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans, depending on species. They are an ancient lineage, and are believed to have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. They are believed to be 200 million years old whereas dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago; crocodiles survived great extinction events.
