The document discusses two species of crocodiles: the American crocodile and the Nile crocodile. It describes their physical characteristics, habitat ranges, behaviors, diets, and conservation statuses. The American crocodile faces threats from hunting and habitat loss, and populations have declined critically across most of its range except in southern Florida. The Nile crocodile has a reputation as a man-eater due to frequent interactions with humans near its habitat, and it has an opportunistic diet, though it also displays caring parental behaviors.

1. * Crocodile

2. *The American crocodile is considered an
endangered species in nearly all parts of its
North, Central, and South American range.
Survey data, except in the United States, is poor
or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that
illegal hunting and habitat depletion has
reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile
to critical levels.

3. *A small, remnant population lives in southern
Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico,
Central America, the Caribbean, and northern
South America. Their habitat of choice is the
fresh or brackish water of river estuaries,
coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

5. *A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from
its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner
snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower
jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.
*This species is among the largest of the world's
crocodiles, with Central and South American males
reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in
the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters),
however.

6. *Their diet consists mainly of small mammals,
birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and
occasionally carrion. They have been known to
attack people, but are far more likely to flee at
the sight of humans.

7. *Most countries in the American
crocodile's range have passed
protection laws, but unfortunately,
few governments provide adequate
enforcement.

9. *The Nile crocodile has a somewhat deserved
reputation as a vicious man-eater. The proximity
of much of its habitat to people means run-ins
are frequent. And its virtually indiscriminate
diet means a villager washing clothes by a
riverbank might look just as tasty as a migrating
wildebeest. Firm numbers are sketchy, but
estimates are that up to 200 people may die
each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.
*

10. *Africa's largest crocodilian, these primordial
brutes reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6
meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730
kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in
the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds
(225 kilograms). They live throughout sub-
Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar
in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove
swamps.
*

11. *The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly
fish, but it will attack almost anything
unfortunate enough to cross its path,
including zebras, small hippos,
porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It
will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up
to half its body weight at a feeding.

12. *One unusual characteristic of this fearsome
predator is its caring nature as a parent.
Where most reptiles lay their eggs and move
on, mother and father Nile crocs ferociously
guard their nests until the eggs hatch, and
they will often roll the eggs gently in their
mouths to help hatching babies emerge.
*Hunted close to extinction in the 1940s
through the 1960s, local and international
protections have helped them rebound in
most areas. In some regions, though,
pollution, hunting, and habitat loss have
severely depleted their numbers.

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