American Crocodile: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Crocodiles and Big Reptiles · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Apart from the saltwater crocodile, it is the only crocodile at home in the sea. It even lives on tiny Caribbean islands with no fresh water at all.
2. It suns itself with its jaws wide open. Air passing over the blood vessels in its mouth helps it stay at the right temperature.
3. When the babies hatch, they croak softly. Their mother hears them, helps them out of the eggs and carries them in her mouth to the nearest water.
4. Southern Florida is special: it is the one place on Earth where crocodiles and alligators share the same home.
5. Living in salty water, its back can carry passengers: ticks, leeches, barnacles and even sea anemones.

The quiz

1. Which other crocodile commonly lives in the sea like the American crocodile?

• Nile crocodile
• Mugger crocodile
• Saltwater crocodile (correct)
• Orinoco crocodile

Only the saltwater crocodile shares its taste for living in seawater.

2. Why does it bask with its mouth wide open?

• To control its body temperature (correct)
• To catch flying insects
• To scare away birds
• To dry its tongue

Air over the blood vessels in its mouth helps it warm up or cool down.

3. How does a mother carry her newborns to the water?

• On the tip of her tail
• Rolled in mud balls
• Clinging to her legs
• In her mouth (correct)

She scoops the hatchlings up in her mouth and takes them to water.

4. Florida is the one place on Earth where crocodiles share a home with which animals?

• Gharials
• Alligators (correct)
• Komodo dragons
• Nile crocodiles

Southern Florida is the one place where alligators and crocodiles coexist.

5. Which of these can live on an American crocodile's back?

• Sea anemones (correct)
• Honeybees
• Baby birds
• Earthworms

Its scales in salty water can host barnacles and even sea anemones.

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