The
Australian Saltwater Crocodile can be found in the northern parts of
Australia and throughout Asia. It can swim thousands of kilometers if it
wants to. This is why it is found in all the warmer climates of Asia and
Australia. This crocodile lives around coastal areas and in rivers.
The Saltwater Crocodile can grow up to 7 meters long. It has a large head
and lots of pointed teeth. It is the largest living reptile.
Crocodiles eat fish, turtles, birds, and other animals that come by. It is
not afraid of humans and will gladly try to have you for supper if you are
foolish enough to go near one.
Very few people actually get eaten by crocodiles (about 12 people in the
last 20 years).
The fresh water crocodile is a reptile it has very scaly skin it is
cold blooded. The fresh water crocodile has very sharp claws for catching
prey. Crocofiles dig with their back hind legs because they are sharper
then the front claws.
Crocodiles can be grey or greenish brown , with heavily mottled flanks.
The snout on the crocodile is very smooth and long.The fresh water
Crocodile is a small to medium sized crocodile the male fresh water
crocodile reaches up to 3.m and the females grow up to 2.3m. The crocodile
gallops at approximately 18Km / h.Recently there have been up to 30,000 to
60,000 fresh water crocodiles restricted to the Northern Territory ranges.
In Fitzroy , the Ord River and Lake Argyle there is a total of 47,000 but
this total was in 1994.The fresh water crocodile eats crusteaceans ,
insects, spiders and fish. It will also take frogs, lizards, goannas,
snakes, birds, rats and bats.Sometimes it will kill and eat wallabies and
it is also known to eat the young of it's own species. Crustaceanns and
insects are it's main diet.To catch it's prey it lies completely still and
camoflaged. It usually sits among the grass near the near the edge of the
water. When the prey comes near it leaps very fast with it's mouth wide
open. The crocodile then throws back it's head and gulps it down.The fresh
water crocodile does most of it's growing in the wet season. When there
isn't much food the crocodile will go without food for a few days and then
it looses weight or even shrinks.
Fresh water crocodiles prefer to live in freshwater rivers and water
holes.Fresh water crocodiles are commonly found in Katherine in the NT and
also are found in Queensland because of the hot weather.
Problems:
The fresh water crocodile is an endangered species because man used to
hunt them to make bags and things like that.The use of crocodile skin
began in 1983.
Solutions:
Not much conservation is needed for the fresh water crocodile but a
group of research people called the Conservation Commitee of the Northern
Territory have been doing some research. They have been doing this program
since the late 1970's. They are trying to stop the hunting of crocodiles
and finding out why the fresh water crocodile is endangered.