Ask Me Everything9

Ho w fast can a crocodile

swim?

Crocodilians are reptiles—scaly-skinned animals with backbones. They hunt in water but lay their eggs on land.

A crocodile can swim at speeds of up to 18 mph (30 kph) — and even faster if it’s chasing prey or escaping from danger. Crocodiles are amazing swimmers. They hołd their front legs fiat against their sides and use their powerful tails to propel themselves through the water. They use the back feet as rudders to steer left and right.

Crocodile

Living in both salt water and fresh water in Asia, Australia, and Africa, crocodiles eat mammals, birds, and fish.

Alligator

The only crocodilian to hibernate during the coldest months of the year, the alligator lives mainly in North America.

Caiman

The most common of the crocodilians, caimans live in Central and South America.

Gharial

With a narrow . snout, this large, ^ slender crocodilian from the Indian subcontinent mainly eats fish.

See and t«e

_GroC°d»BS^O_a underwater,    protects

transparent >i^_{we e)<c6}»ent

^the-aht sislon. ^SenS0,V ncMes to

around wStons-orocial *hen Ą

^detehuntW'«'"^:'^uW'^Nater' -

I don’t I believe it ■

If you shed “crocodile tears” people think you are faking it. That’s because crocodiles “ery” while they are eating their victims. But it’s not because they are feeling remorse: as they swallow down large lumps of meat, their jaw muscles expand and contract. The pressure created by the moving muscles sgueezes tears out of the crocodile’s tear glands.

8,

£.3 a

Cj M—| CU

2 2 b a

S ta “

tC <D Cd

(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. Ali Rights Reserved.