Some Facts You Never Knew About Crocodiles

(Source: bestpictureblog)

This terrifying reptile was among the first creatures on earth. It managed to survive the last mass extinction 65 million years ago, and is not changing through centuries at all – it seems crocodiles are beyond the power of evolution…
 

 An average lifetime of a crocodile is 80 years.The oldest one (115 years old) lived in Russia and died in 1997.
 

This is how crocodiles cool off in the heat, the fact is that crocodiles sweat through mouths. It looks scary though.An open mouth of the reptile does not mean aggression.
 

Tears appear on crocodiles’ eyes when they feed. They do not feel pain or something. It is just a physical reaction of their body to the air pushed thru sinuses and triggering tear glands. So they do not cry because of sadness or guilt – those tears are “fake tears”.
 
In a monsoon season crocodiles are especially aggressive.It’s a period of their mating so naturally they become more dangerous for people.
 
Crocodiles do not have skin on their backs.Instead of skin they have so-called osteoderms of their backs (type of bones), those bones so hard that can easily withstand bullets, spears and arrows.
 
The reptile has eye crystals to reflect moonlight.In the darkness all you see is a pair of shiny red dots – quite scary!
 
Crocodiles may swim only with help of their tails.The speed they develop in the water is 40 km/h, on the ground they get tired very quickly.
 
So expensive it is when made from leather taken from a crocodile’s belly – it is the most valuable one.A good purse made of crocodile skin may cost up to 15,000 USD.
 

 The largest crocodile lives in saltwater.The species is called the Crocodylus porosus and can be found in India, Fiji and albeit Australia. The mass of a reptile may reach a tone, its length – 23 ft.
 

Some crocodiles are can compare in size with lizards.The smallest species is a dwarf crocodile, it is not bigger than 1,5 m, its weight up to 18 kg.
 
The reptile may strike vertically.They use their strong tails to launch their bodies vertically and it is always a bad surprise for their prey.
 
Crocodiles are able to climb trees.And this is another thing you expect last from this creature. They do it to detect a position of a potential prey.
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