animals that rightfully awarded the title of king of reptiles and storms of all life, is the saltwater crocodile.He was feared at all times, and now covers human panic when encountering this magnificent predator.
Habitat
saltwater crocodile is common in the tropics of Asia and the Pacific (from Australia to India).Most individuals are settled in the archipelago of Palau - their number has almost two thousand.Such a broad habitat due to the ability of an animal to travel long distances in the open sea.Deep and calm water - that's what attracts the saltwater crocodile.They find such sites in the tropical savannas, on the sea shore and in the estuaries.
Males pronounced territoriality.They guard their place of living rivals.Battle for a place under the sun are relentless, the loser often deprived not only of property, but also life.Sometimes slightly saltwater crocodile, losing a few battles, circling along the coast to the open sea, because it has no place to land.
size and weight
This saltwater crocodile - the largest reptile from the time when dinosaurs disappeared on the planet.The weight of an animal is an average of eight kg, but there are larger specimens weighing more than one and a half tons.As for the length, four-meter predator is considered to be small, in the book of Guinness fixed length male saltwater crocodile of seven meters.This giant lives in the Indian reserve to this day.By the way, the life expectancy of a crocodile is on average 50 years, and all the while he continues to grow.
Juveniles have a light yellow color with black spots.Growing up, he was getting dark, and the spot, on the contrary, become lighter.Saltwater crocodile has a great vision, he is able to see even under water.Eye reptile is designed so that when submerged transparent membrane automatically covers the organ of vision.But the most acute sense of hearing is considered to be a crocodile.In this species, he developed much better than other reptiles.Most will be seen a slight rustle of a predator.
peoples, dividing the territory with these animals, pay tribute to their intelligence.There is a theory that crocodilians have something similar to it: they communicate with each other using a special system of simple sounds that resemble dog barking or mooing cows.
impresses jaws with sharp teeth, which are in different individuals may be from 54 to 68 pieces.Interestingly, the muscles that open and close the mouth crocodile, developed differently.You do not need much effort to open the animal jaw: this successfully cope anyone.However, they are closed with such force that no athlete will not be able to resist the process.And slamming occurs instantly.
Behavior
mistaken who thinks that a huge and heavy body saltwater crocodile is not able to move quickly.The water element it moves very adroitly, can deep dive and jump high out of the water.Powerful tail at the same time acts as a rudder, and is used as a combat weapon that can strike hard.On land this reptile is trying not to walk long distances, it is rare to find more than 30 meters from the reservoir, but the danger of a predator moves quickly and deftly, often retreating.
main food of this species are insects, fish, birds and amphibians.Adults are able to attack and large mammals: monkeys, deer, wild boar, etc.Victims often do come to a crocodile habitat to drink.Therefore, the locals have a rule: never drink their livestock directly from the river.
At the time of hunting the animal behaves very cleverly: stalking prey from the water, and only when the victim is at a sufficient distance, instantly throws, grabs her and drags on the bottom.Frequent attacks on humans, though not on land.
How to avoid attacks
If saltwater crocodile attacks a person, he is already nothing will help, so it is best to avoid a meeting with the reptile.If it is found in the river, do not approach it closer than 30 meters, and especially do not swim through it by boat.
People are quite capable and crocodiles co-exist, but at a distance.This kind of animal is considered to be rare, so deliberate hunting is not encouraged.
