ESTUARINE CROCODILE (Crocodylus porosus)
ESTUARINE CROCODILE
(Crocodylus porosus)
Known in Australia as the "saltie," this is the world's largest and most dangerous crocodile. Unlike other crocodiles, it lives in sea water as well as in lakes and rivers. The female lays up to 90 eggs in a mound of sand and leaves. She guards the nest fiercely, but when her young hatch, she gently carries them to water. Fully grown estuarine crocodiles can kill animals as large as water buffaloes and may be responsible for as many as 1,000 human deaths each year.
This freahwater crocodile lives in lakes and rivers. It preys on animals that come to drink, dragging them under water and drowning them. It twists around in the water to rip its food apart. The Nile crocodile has a spectacular courtship display. The male defends a stretch of bank, roaring at any intruders. When a female is attracted by the noise, the male thrashes his body and shoots water into the air from his nostrils.
This is the smallest and least known of the world's crocodiles. It lives in rain forest rivers and swamps, climbing up tree trunks to bask in the sun. The female lays up to 17 eggs and guards them for three months. Unusually, it has armored scales on its underside as well as its back.
This large, freshwater crocodile has an extremely slender snout equipped with many small but needle-sharp teeth. Although its snout looks fragile, it is ideal for catching fish, the gavial's main food. Once it has made a catch, the gavial lifts its snout into the air, then flicks the fish around so it can swallow it head first. Compared to other crocodiles, gavials spend a lot of time in the water. Their back feet are fully webbed.
The American alligator is the largest reptile in the Western Hemisphere. In the 1960s, after decades of being hunted, it was declared an endangered species. It has since made a spectacular recovery. Alligators live in rivers and swamps, eating anything they can overpower, from turtles to birds. During the summer, they often wallow in water-filled hollows called "gator holes," but in winter, they hibernate in shallow dens. Alligators are very similar to crocodiles. The easiest way to tell them apart is that a crocodile's lower front teeth protrude when its mouth is closed, while an alligator's fit into sockets in its upper jaw.
A caiman is a small crocodile from Central and South America. There are five different species, of which the spectacled caiman is the most common. It lives in rivers, lakes, and swamps, and it can survive droughts by burrowing in the mud. The spectacled caiman got its name from the ridges around its eyes, which look like a pair of glasses.
These powerfully built animals have large heads, sticky feet, and a spiky crest running down their backs. They resemble lizards on the outside, but they have unusually shaped skulls and backbones, and their teeth are permanently fixed to their jaws, instead of being set in sockets. Tuataras are nocturnal. They hide in burrows, during the day, emerging at night to eat birds' eggs and small animals such as insects. Compared to lizards, they are long-lived and cope well in the cold. Tuataras were once common in New Zealand, but are now among the rarest animals in the world. They live only on a few islands, where they are carefully protected against rats and other introduced mammals.
This impressive animal is one of the world's largest plant-eating lizards. It spends most of its time basking high up in waterside trees. It has powerful feet with sharp claws and a long, muscular tail. Despite its size, it can be difficult to see, because its green color keeps it well camouflaged. Adult iguanas are large enough to defend themselves against most attackers, but if taken by surprise, they have an unusual way of escaping- they leap out of the trees and crash into the water, quickly swimming away.
Chuckwallas are plant-eating lizards that live in deserts and rocky places. They have broad, red and gray bodies with fat tails and loose skin covered with rough, sandpapery scales. Chuckwallas feed during the day. If they are threatened, they often run into rocky crevices and then gulp air- this makes them swell up, wedging them in place. Female chuckwallas lay clutches of about ten eggs, and like most lizards, they leave their young to fend for themselves.
This remarkable reptile is the world's only seagoing lizard. It feeds on seaweed that grows around the rocky shores of the Galapagos Islands. The water around the Galapagos is cold, but the iguana survives the low temperatures by slowing its heart rate when it dives, so that its blood does not loose to much heat through its skin. Marine iguanas are shaped for their unusual way of life-they have blunt heads, wide jaws, and a flattened tail that works like a cross between a propeller and a rudder. They can stay under water for up to 20 minutes.
Most lizards run away if threatened, but horned lizards stand their ground. Their squat bodies are protected by an array of horns and spines, and they can squirt blood from their eyes at an attacker. Also known as horned toads, horned lizards live in deserts in North America. There are 14 species, most of which feed on ants.
The bright green basilisk has an eye-catching bony flap on its head, as well as a crest on its back and tail. But the most unusual thing about it is that it can run on its two back legs. It only does this in emergencies, but it can splash its way across several yards of water, as well as running on dry land. Basilisks are able to do this because they have large back feet with a fringe of scales on each of their toes. These lizards live in forests, and they find their food on the ground as well as in trees.
Anoles are small, bright green lizards with slender bodies and long tails. They feed on insects they find in trees. They can race along branches with amazing speed because their fingers and toes have rounded pads and sharp claws, giving them a good grip. Most male anoles have brightly colored flap that can fold underneath their chin, which they use to attract females during the breeding season. There are more than 250 species of anoles, found only in the Americas.
Unlike the marine iguana, this large lizard stays on dry land. It feeds almost entirely on the leaves and fruit of the prickly pear cactus, breaking off the cactus spines with its jaw before swallowing the rest. Female land iguanas bury their eggs in the ground. They leave the dry lowlands and trek up mountains to find the moist ground they need for a nesting site.
This is one of Austrailia's most spectacular lizards. Its color varies from dull red to brown, but if the lizard is cornered, it responds with a stricking threat display. It unfurls a brilliant red and yellow frill around its neck and opens its bright red mouth. At the same time, it sways and hisses, making it look as if it is about to attack. This is often enough to make the lizard's enemies back away, but if not, it folds up its frill and runs up the nearest tree.
**All Facts and Information contained in this website can be found in the following reference materials: The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia and The Complete Book of Animals from The American Education Publishers
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