Freshwater Crocodile  By Hayden and Taylor

Profile:

Full name: Crocdylus Johnstoni.

Size: The size of a male crocodile is approximately 2-3 meters long and a female is approximately 1.8m.

Weight: The weight of a male crocodile is 60kg and a female is 30kg.

Food: Crocodiles eat all sorts of animals and prey, fish, frogs, reptiles, and small animals. A crocodile uses its teeth to catch prey and the prey gets swallowed whole. No matter how hard the prey struggles it cannot free itself from the powerful jaws of the crocodile. 

Habitat: Found in the tropical north of Australia in the rivers. Crocodiles have lived for 70 million years. When you look at crocodiles you can see their teeth because they always look fierce. 

Identification:

The fresh water crocodile is olive/brown in colour.

Crocodiles have a thick leathery hide. Bony plates below the skin gives them a protective covering like amour. On land, crocodiles move in a slow wading manner.

 

                          

 

 

Skeletal system 

The crocodile has a tail bone a hip girdle a shoulder girdle leg bone back bone and skull. 

Nest: Hole in the sand.

Eggs: It lays 4 to 24 eggs.  

Teeth Structure:

Sometimes a crocodile breaks a tooth when struggling with prey but other teeth may rot. This is not a problem for crocodiles because they have a never ending supply of teeth. When one tooth falls out another grows in to replace it. 

 How the crocodile uses its tail

 

A crocodile uses its tail to do three things. When swimming the crocodile sweeps its tail from side to side. The tail pushes the crocodile quickly and quietly through the water like a paddle. The crocodile uses its tail like a bat to knock down their prey.

Behaviour

 

When a adult crocodile is angry it makes a long hissing noise or growl. Baby crocodiles have a high pitched yelping cry which they use to call their mother. 

When alarmed, the crocodile raises its tail and body off the ground. Quickly it races into the water. Crocodiles are also able to slide down muddy banks at great speed.  

Breeding

 

During August or September the female freshwater crocodile will choose a place on a sandbank to make her nest. Using her hands and legs she digs an oval-shaped hole approximately forty- six centimetres deep. Laying over the hole she lays twelve to twenty five eggs. She then covers the hole with sand. The female stays close to her nest to protect it from animals that might steal the eggs and eat them.  

65 to 90 days later the eggs hatch. The young hatching squeak and yelp as they wriggle out of the egg shells and hurry to their mother in the water. For the next three days, the hatchings stay close to their mother hiding in the reeds.  The young crocodiles eat insects. As they grow they feed on tadpoles frogs, water snails and small fish.