🦁 Animal world 🐊 Reptiles and amphibians

The crocodile

📖 In short

The crocodile is one of the biggest reptiles alive today. It has a long body covered in hard scales, short legs, a powerful tail and a big mouth full of sharp teeth. It lives in rivers, lakes and swamps in hot places.

🤩 Did you know?

Fossils show that some ancient crocodiles were up to 15 meters long.
Crocodile eggs look like hens' eggs, but bigger.
A crocodile can live more than 70 years.
The temperature of the nest decides whether a baby crocodile will be male or female.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 A patient hunter

A crocodile hides in the water with its whole body under the surface, showing only its eyes and nostrils, so it looks like a floating log. When prey comes close to drink, it lunges at it very fast.

🔍 An excellent swimmer

A crocodile swims by swinging its powerful tail from side to side; it closes its nostrils and ears underwater, and a see-through eyelid protects its eyes.

💡 A caring mother

A mother crocodile lays her eggs in a nest of mud and plants and guards it. When they hatch, she gently carries her babies in her big mouth and takes them to the water!

🎯 Crocodiles and alligators

The crocodile's relatives include the American alligator, the little caiman and the thin-snouted gharial. You can tell a crocodile because some of its lower teeth show even when its mouth is shut.