Introduction
The Saltwater crocodile, also known as the Crocodylus porosus,
The modern organism
The saltwater crocodile is currently the largest reptile in the world, having the average length of 4 meters for a female, and 5 meters average for a male. These crocodiles flourish in parts of Southeast Asia, Northern Australia and Eastern India; commonly in rivers and swamps. Grey and brown in color, the animal possesses a firm body, a vigorous tail, a substantial head, excessive jaws and are also known for maintaining excellent swimming skills for elongated periods of time; allowing it to kill prey efficiently. The saltwater crocodile feeds on fish, birds, reptiles and mammals – and hunts through lurking patiently beneath the surface near the water’s edge, lunging out of the water and pulling their victim underwater.
Habitat
The saltwater crocodile is frequently found in countries and areas with warmer climates, most likely around Sri Lanka and the east coast of India, Burma, Southeast Asia, Australia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and the Caroline Islands. They live in coastal areas of swamps, rivers and billabongs; generally spending the tropical wet season in freshwater rivers and swamps, and moving downstream to estuaries during the dry season. The crocodiles compete fiercely with each other for
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Their proficiency with their heightened sound and smell senses gives them an advanced system of recognizing whether prey or danger is approaching, determining if danger is imminent, or guiding them to their prey. To enhance their underwater visual capacity, a protective membrane covers their eye, and the iris of the eye achieves optimal night vision. They learn to avoid constant threatening situations by navigating new routes after a single encounter, which has prevented numerous attempts of their capture by human
...s in the water, as well as quick change in pace and direction. This again is to evade predation.
"How The Crocodile Got It's Skin" is a myth because it meets all the criteria a myth requires. The three requirements a story must have in order to be a myth is it must follow a pattern, answer the question "why?", and follow a belief system. The crocodile is introduced to the readers early in the story by repeatedly coming out of the water; "The crocodile became very proud of its skin and started coming out of the water to bask...even while the sun was still shining". (Paragraph 2) In order for a story to be a myth it must follow a pattern. Theoretically because the crocodile seeks the attention, he continuously came out of the water to bask; therefore, meeting one of the requirements of a myth. Also, in the text it said, "But each day
Piatigorsky, Z., Kozmik. 2004.Cubozoan jellyfish: an Evo/Devo model for eyes and other sensory systems. Int J Dev Biol 48: 719–729
“You see me running around wrestling crocs and grabbing venomous snakes,” he told People, “but we’re into conservation. That’s our passion. That’s my whole aim in life” (Amerman 2) world famous host of The Crocodile Hunter, Stephen Robert Irwin once said. Irwin's undeniable passion for animals were not only showed in his words throughout his life but also his conservation movements which led him to a life of wildlife exploration. Physical strength, mental power, and many other characteristics drew the viewers of The Crocodile Hunter to support the famous Australian wildlife fanatic. Irwin also once said, “Fear is a natural thing that us humans have. It keeps us alive. So every time I go in on a venomous snake, a crocodile, a bear, a cougar, a tiger shark-any wild animal- I get a little scared, a little nervy. Fear is a good thing” (Shears 38). Irwin played a significant role in wildlife conservation throughout his entire life by relocating reptiles, appearing on television conservation channels, running the Australian Zoo wildlife centre, and participating in many other projects including wildlife preservation which over the years earned him the name, The Crocodile Hunter.
• You need to know that fish has senses. They can hear, taste, see, and smell. They have lateral line which helps them to detect movement in water. When they are in danger, they can run away. You will really have to watch your movements because you do not want to go away with empty hands.
Most people think that sharks are large, fast-swimmers, and savage predators. This is true of some species and groups should be interested of the appealing aspects of biology found within it: all sharks have an excellent sense of smell; some can detect electrical discharges; some sharks give birth to one of the
The common caiman (Caiman Crocodilus), also known as a spotted Caiman, is a moderately sized reptile that resembles a crocodile or alligator, but with an average length of 1.1 -1.8 meters they are typically smaller than their more noted counterparts. Being a freshwater crocodilian this species lives in the marshy areas that connect to moderate sized tributaries, giving them both a feeding and breeding ground as well as, the ability to easily move from marsh to marsh in search of food and mates. Native to an area starting in northern South America and ranging to northern Central America, this reptile has begun moving into territories further and further north. This crocodilian can be identified by a curved bony ridge near the front of the snout and banding of darker color over the species’ back, which its American counterparts lack. As of now the Caiman is too susceptible to cold weather to continue moving north into central North America, and has been stunted in northern Florida due to freezing that drives the
The Axolotl, a crucially endangered neotenous species of mole salamander, has adapted to fit its environment so it can easily catch food and evade predators. The Axolotl’s habitat is the lake system of Xochimilco that is near Mexico City, Mexico. This shallow, fresh water lake complex has a temperature range of 6- 20°C and a pH of 7- 12. The complex also has the Axolotl’s primary food sources of mollusk, insect larvae, and other crustaceans. However, with the introduction of foreign species such as the Asian Carp and the African Tilapia, the Axolotl now has predators that may eat and threaten it, and it has competition for the animals it usually eats. Fortunately, the Axolotl has developed adaptations that aid it in catching food and evading predators. To help it catch food the Axolotl’s teeth are shaped like cones, so that its “vacuum” action of sucking in as much water in order to also eat food is aided by the shape of the teeth, which allow it to grip, rather than chew. To aid them in avoiding predators they are able to metamorphose so that they use their lungs more than their gill, which allows them to leave very toxic waters and the predators within. Another adaption that helps them deflect any predator is that they are able to regenerate body parts that have been lost, allowing them to stay as strong as possible. Axolotl’s have adaptations that aid their survival from predators in the lake complex Xochimilco that they reside in.
The cuttlefish is thought provoking and interesting. This cephalopod possesses unique traits that the committee found perfect for the role. Despite the name, the cuttlefish is actually a mollusk related to squids. They have "W" shaped pupils, are colorblind, but also can sense the polarization of light. Although colorblind, cuttlefish still hold the ability to camouflage with brilliant colors and textures,
There are two kinds of species of alligators. There is the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Many people have a hard time telling the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Alligators are related in the same family as the crocodile, but these two animals are very different. An alligator’s upper jaw overlaps the lower jaw. Alligators have a broad snout while crocodile have a very narrow snout. Alligators have much less aggressive and energetic than the crocodiles. Alligators live in tropical climates and crocodiles live in somewhat colder climates. Their kingdom is Animalia. Their Phylum is Chordata. They come from the class Reptilia. Their order is Crocodylia. Their family is Alligatoridae. Their genus is Alligator and their species is alligator messissipiensis and they are known as American alligators.
Their eyes track the movement of objects through something called an Optokinetic Pursuit system (Sandeman and Atwood 1982). This is a type of reflex that allows the organism to translate other animals’ movement through a series of controllable stimuli, also allowing it to determine what direction those animals are going in as well as how fast (Sandeman and Atwood 1982). This way, they can move around in the dark and take advantage of the fact that their predators, which include many species of fish and Gray whales, cannot actually see in the dark and prevent themselves from being
The American Alligator comes from the phylum Chordata and class Reptilia. It is one of the largest reptiles in North America. They have short powerful legs and a long pointed snout. Alligators go over 2,000-3,000 teeth through their lifetime, since 80 teeth have to be in the alligator’s mouth at a time. They grow a foot a year females grow as big as nine feet, while males can be as big as 13-14 feet. They are mostly found in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes and marshes. It is found in the southeastern of the United States. They are carnivores, they eat snakes, turtles, fish, small mammals. Its hunting is mainly done in the water. According to nature works the alligators swallow small prey as a whole and they drag larger prey underwater
Sensory systems are essential to a mammal’s survival and for providing important information concerning their internal and external environment (Hill et al., 2011). Sensory systems depend on specialized sensory receptor cells that respond to stimuli, either from the mammals’ internal or external environment (2011). One form of sensory is electroreception, which is the detection of electrical currents or fields in aquatic mammals and mechanoreceptors are specialized to respond to different types of mechanical stimuli, such as touch, taste, smell, etc. (2011). The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) exhibits electroreception with the help of mechanoreceptors to detect prey item while submerged in water.
The Fiji Crested Iguana is a part of Fiji's wide range of colorful wildlife, yet the devastation and destruction of their native habitat threatens how colorful Fiji's wildlife soon may be. The community of iguanas in Fiji are small, with only three iguana species contributing to the biodiversity on the islands. Therefore, this reptile is a sort of rarity in the biosphere overall. It is considered the largest in size and the most colorful of the islands. The iguana has a distinct appearance with a habitat that is being eradicated, causing critical endangerment and conservation.
Many people cannot tell the differences between alligators and crocodiles. Indeed, their names are often used interchangeably. Both are from the order crocodilian and from afar they do look similar. But similar is not same. We shall examine some significant differences. More specifically, we shall focus on the physical attributes, biological differences and temperament of these semi-aquatic predators.