Crocodilia and its characteristics

1. By: Dr Gul Muhammad
FVAS Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan

2. Crocodiles
Alligators
Caimans
Faculty of veterinary and
animals sciences Gomal
University DI Khan

3.  Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata
 Class: Reptilia
 Order: Crocodilia
 Family: Crocodylidae
&
Alligatoridae

4.  Subfamily: Crocodylinae
 Genus: Crocodylus
 Species: Crocodylus acutus
(American crocodile)
Crocodylus niloticus
(African crocodile)
Crocodylus porosus
(saltwater crocodile)

5. Males 7.0 m (23.0 ft) in length
weighing 1,000 to 1,200 kg
Female:
smaller as
3 m (9.8 ft)
Habitat is mostly salt water

6.  Also called Nile crocodile widespread
throughout Sub-SaharanAfrica.
 Adult male Nile crocodile is between 3.5 and
5 m and weighs 225 to 750 kg.
 Females are usually about 30 % smaller than
males.

8.  American crocodile: found in coastal areas
(transition areas between land and sea) and in river
systems.
 has a tendency to tolerate some level
of salinity.
 tolerance to salt water is due to salt
glands underneath the tongue.
 Also found on beaches and small island.

9.  one of the larger crocodile species.
 Males: lengths of 6.1 m (20 ft) and
weighing up to 907 kg.
 Female: length 3.8 m (12 ft) and
weighing about 400 kg.

10.  Adults: uniform grayish-green coloration with
white or yellow undersides.
 Juveniles: have dark cross-banding on the tail
and back.

11.  Fish, reptiles, birds and
small mammals make up the majority of their
diet.
 Occasionally, large mammals such as deer
and cattle are taken.
 American crocodile is potentially dangerous
to humans, though it tends not to be as
aggressive as some other species.

12.  breed in late fall or early winter, engaging in
drawn-out mating.
 Body size is more important
than age in determining
reproductive capabilities.
 females reach sexual maturity
at a length of about 2.8 m (9.2 ft).
 February or March, gravid
females will begin to create
nests of sand and mud.

13.  Clutch size: 30 to 70 eggs.
 The white, elongated
Eggs are 8 cm long and
5 cm wide and have a
Number of pores in the
brittle shell.

14. 75- to 80-day

15. They are actively hunt prey within a few days of hatching

17.  Scaly hide with rows of ossified
scutes running down its back and tail.
(scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale)
 Snout is elongated and includes a strong pair
of jaws.
 eyes have nictitating membranes for
protection along with lacrimal glands, which
produce tears.

18.  Nostrils, eyes, and ears are situated on the
top of its head so,
 The body can be concealed underwater for
surprise attacks.
Large American
crocodile skull

19.  Crocodile species normally crawls on its belly,
but it can also "high walk".
 can swim at as much as 20 mph (32 km/h),
 By moving their bodies and tails in a sinuous
fashion, but they cannot sustain this speed.
 Have a faster growth rate than alligators, and
are much more tolerant of salt water.

20. SALTWATER CROCODILE:
70 YEARS
NILE CROCODILE: 70 TO
100 YEARS

21.  American crocodile is endangered in parts of
its range.
 In 1972, Venezuela banned commercial
crocodile skin harvesting for a decade, as a
result of 1950s and 1960s overhunting.
 Because sex determination is temperature
dependent in crocodilians, slight aberrations
in temperature may result in all-male or all
female clutches, which would possibly harm
the health of the population.