In the section on the question how long does a crocodile live? given by the author Mansion the best answer is Life expectancy of crocodiles and alligators in natural environment habitat is not so great:
caiman - about 4 years old.
On this moment The oldest crocodile is the Mississippi alligator from Australia, which died at 66 years old. On average, with good conditions When kept, crocodiles can live up to 40-50 years.
Answer from Your Mightiness[guru]
Approximately 60-80 years. IN wildlife it happens up to 100.
Answer from Gorgeous[guru]
80-100
Answer from wake up[guru]
Saltwater crocodile: 70 years
Nile crocodile: 70 – 100 years
Mississippi alligator: 30 – 50 years
Answer from European[newbie]
This animal is recognized as the largest land predator of all existing ones. A crocodile or alligator can reach truly colossal sizes in its lifetime. Accordingly, for this he needs a lot of food and time. Well, if everything is fine with the first one, then what about time? How long does a crocodile live in the wild and at home?
One thing is certain: the life expectancy of crocodiles and alligators in their natural habitat is not that long:
Nile crocodile- on average 8 years;
Mississippi alligator - about 5 years;
gharial - a large reptile of the order of crocodiles, lives on average 6 years;
caiman - about 4 years old.
Currently, the oldest crocodile is the Mississippi alligator from Australia, which died at 66 years old. On average, under good conditions, crocodiles can live up to 40-50 years.
Although most Crocodiles spend their lives in water and breathe through their lungs. This is surprising, but thanks to the unique structure respiratory system, they are able to survive without oxygen for 30 to 40 minutes. In captivity, reptiles grow faster because they have no shortage of food. Many people are interested in this question: how many years does a crocodile live? This representative of cold-blooded animals can easily afford to celebrate its 100th anniversary. But more often than not, reptiles simply do not live to such a respectable age.
Factors influencing the lifespan of crocodiles
Hunting for skins. It's no secret that crocodile skin is quite highly valued among haberdashery manufacturers. In addition to wallets and bags, it is used for sewing shoes. Therefore, these cold-blooded animals, due to merciless destruction by poachers, do not even live to be 50 years old.
Changes in habitual living conditions. The further a person encroaches into wild nature, the bigger place civilization occupies it. Deforestation, artificial drainage of water bodies and the construction of dams in most cases have an impact on Negative influence for animal life. In such conditions, crocodiles do not have the opportunity to ensure the full development of their offspring, which die due to the lack of small fish, frogs and insects.
Natural selection. Despite the fact that the female crocodile practically does not leave the clutch, in rare moments of her absence, the eggs can become easy prey for other predators. And even after moving into a shallow body of water, the cubs face many dangers, including adult relatives who will not disdain even babies.
Temperature regime. Optimal maintenance conditions are sufficient water space and warmth. At temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius, even in adults, life expectancy is significantly reduced.
How many years does a crocodile live?
In the limited space of the zoo with good care crocodiles are quite capable of crossing the 70-year age limit.
Wildlife dictates its own rules, so in its natural habitat until old age this species It is extremely rare for reptiles to survive. Caimans live the shortest (on average 4 years). The Nile crocodile has a much higher rate. Under favorable circumstances, he can live 8–10 years.
Unfortunately, despite the law prohibiting the killing of crocodiles, the hunt for them never stops. Therefore, long-livers among these animals are quite rare.
Video on the topic
The crocodile is recognized as nature's largest land predator. The size of the animal is colossal. To maintain life requires a lot of strength and food.
These animals appeared on earth millions of years ago. And today they appearance no different from its predecessors. Average duration life is about 100 years, it all depends on the habitat. In the wild, life lasts 80-100 years, in captivity 40-50 years with proper maintenance. In the article we will look at the lifestyle of one species of crocodiles - the Nile.
The Nile representative, like all the others, is short-legged. The limbs are located on the side of the body. The animal is scaly and powerful. The eyes (ears and nostrils) are located on top of the head. This makes it possible to be almost completely under water. The animal's color palette, gray or light brown with stripes, makes it possible to be invisible. With age it is almost invisible.
Nile crocodile skin is considered the most expensive and highest quality.
Animals often move on their stomachs, but can also walk with their torso raised. Small individuals can gallop for short distances at a speed of 12-14 km/h. speed in water – 30 km/h.
The Nile crocodile is a predatory animal that can be found in African countries. It hunts mainly animals, but poses a danger to humans. The population of this particular species is quite large.
Due to their size, crocodiles hunt for animals larger than themselves, avoiding elephants and hippos.
Parameters of an adult:
- Length – 5 m (there were 6 m).
- Weight – 225-550 kg.
The crocodile's heart consists of 4 chambers - this makes it possible a long period stay under water (up to 2 hours). Slow metabolism and low temperature bodies allow not to eat every day, but at one time the animal can absorb half its weight in food.
The crocodile's diet is entirely meat. Once born, crocodiles eat small aquatic inhabitants and insects. After a couple of weeks, the food becomes more varied and larger.
Adults consume large foods, fish, animals and birds, which drink water on the shore of a reservoir. These could be lions, hyenas, leopards, monkeys, zebras, etc.
The Nile crocodile poses a great danger to humans. According to numerous reports, he takes about a thousand lives.
During the hunt, predators behave carefully. They wait for the victim far from the shore, hiding under the water. Next, they attack sharply, striking with their teeth fatal bites, or drown. They can feed on carrion, but not rotten ones.
Reproduction
The breeding season of the Nile crocodile depends on the area of residence, in the northern part it is a time of drought, in the southern part - rainy time. Males compete for the female's attention. The one who wins the fight stays with the “lady”. At the same time, they can snort, roar, and splash.
Upon completion of mating, the female leaves in search of a secluded place for oviposition. Most often it is sand. 20-100 eggs can be laid per clutch. After 90 days, new offspring will appear. Throughout this period, both parents responsibly guard the clutch.
When babies are born, the mother helps them get to water. They live in shallow water for up to 10 weeks. The younger generation scatters in search of shelter and food. The life expectancy of a crocodile in such conditions is about 45-50 years. There are cases up to 85 years.
The Nile crocodile is divided into several types:
- Ethiopian.
- Malagasy.
- Central African.
- West African.
- East African.
- South African.
- Kenyan.
As you know, crocodiles live much shorter lives in captivity. The reasons for this are different:
- Since ancient times, people began to exterminate these animals en masse so that they would not hunt livestock.
- At a certain period, the world was enveloped in a wave of fashion for crocodile leather products.
The number of crocodiles killed for their skin is colossal. Statistics:
- Killed - about 1 million.
- Skins sold - 190 thousand.
In 1944, a law was passed prohibiting the hunting of these animals. Otherwise, the American alligator would have died out completely.
Today, the hunt does not stop, poor peoples risk their lives to catch a crocodile and sell its skin. Young mothers die, eggs are left unprotected. Therefore, the survival rate of the livestock is reduced.
The life expectancy of a crocodile and massive changes in living conditions will interfere. Forests are being cut down, water bodies are drying up, bridges and dams, shops and residential villages are being built. This fact also reduces the number of various animals that the crocodile feeds on.
For this reason, predators can eat endangered species of fish and animals. For some individuals, this combination of circumstances plays a role positive role. Those places that the female prepares for laying eggs are filled with water, and they live there. various fish, birds fly in to drink water.
American crocodile (sharp-nosed). They are large in size, up to 6 meters. The color scheme is brown or olive-gray. Weighs about 400-500 kilograms. They live on average up to 45 years. Eggs laid by a female can be stolen by raccoons, wild cats, birds. It practically does not attack people.
African narrow-snouted crocodile. Average size - about 3-4 meters, weight - 230 kilograms. The color range is varied, olive-gray, almost black, brown. There are dark spots on the tail. Lives approximately 50 years or more. Listed in the Red Book. Main enemy- a person whose goal is skin and meat.
Orinoco crocodile. One of the largest, up to 7 meters long, females no more than 3.5 meters. Weight - 200 kilograms, there were individuals weighing 350 kilograms. The color scheme is red and brown, the body is covered with dark spots. They live on average 50-60 years, there is no exact data. Babies are hunted by birds, snakes, foxes and humans. Leather is of great value due to its large size.
Australian narrow-snouted crocodile. Lives in fresh waters, quite small. The size is no more than 3 meters, weight - 90 kilograms for males, 45 kilograms for females. The color scheme is brown with dark stripes. Lives no more than 50 years. Main predators - wild pigs, hunt for eggs. It feeds mainly on fish. Listed in the Red Book.
Philippine crocodile. The size of the individual is quite small, rarely reaching 3 meters. According to some sources, it lives for about a century. The main enemy is man. Feeds water inhabitants, reptiles and invertebrates. It is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book. Today there are no more than 200 individuals in nature.
Crocodile animal reptile, part of the order of aquatic vertebrates. These animals appeared on Earth more than 200 million years ago.
The first individuals first lived on land and only later mastered aquatic environment. The closest relatives of crocodiles are considered.
Features and habitat of the crocodile
Life in water has formed the corresponding body of a reptile: the body of crocodiles is long, almost flat, with a flat long head, a powerful tail, short paws with toes connected by membranes.
Crocodile is a cold-blooded animal, his body temperature is about 30 degrees, sometimes it can reach 34 degrees, it depends on the ambient temperature. Animal world crocodiles very diverse, but species differ only in body length; there are reptiles up to 6 meters, but most are 2-4 m.
The biggest saltwater crocodiles weigh more than a ton and have a length of up to 6.5 m, they are found in the Philippines. The smallest land crocodiles, 1.5-2 m, live in Africa. Under water, the crocodile's ears and nostrils close with valves, transparent eyelids fall over the eyes, thanks to them the animal sees well even in muddy water.
The mouth of crocodiles does not have lips, so it does not close tightly. To prevent water from entering the stomach, the entrance to the esophagus is blocked by the velum palatine. The crocodile's eyes are located high on the head, so only the eyes and nostrils are visible above the surface of the water. The brown-green color of the crocodile camouflages it well in the water.
Green tint prevails if the ambient temperature is elevated. The animal's skin consists of durable horny plates that protect well internal organs.
Crocodiles, unlike other reptiles, do not shed; their skin constantly grows and renews itself. Thanks to its elongated body, the animal maneuvers well and moves quickly in the water, while using its powerful tail as a rudder.
Crocodiles live in fresh waters of the tropics. Eat species of crocodiles, well adapted to salt water, they are found in the coastal strip of the seas - these are the combed, Nile, African narrow-snouted crocodiles.
Character and lifestyle of a crocodile
Crocodiles are almost constantly in the water. They crawl ashore in the morning and evening to warm their horny plates in the sun. When the sun is hot, the animal opens its mouth wide, thus cooling the body.
Birds, attracted by leftover food, can freely enter the mouth at this time to eat. And although crocodile predator, wild animal he never tries to grab them.
Crocodiles mainly live in fresh waters; in hot weather, when the reservoir dries out, they can dig a hole at the bottom of the remaining puddle and hibernate. During drought, reptiles can crawl into caves in search of water. If hungry, crocodiles are able to eat their relatives.
On land, animals are very clumsy and clumsy, but in water they move easily and gracefully. If necessary, they can move to other bodies of water by land, covering several kilometers.
Nutrition
Crocodiles hunt mainly at night, but if prey is available during the day, the animal will not refuse to feast on it. Receptors located on the jaws help reptiles detect potential prey even at a very long distance.
The main food of crocodiles is fish, as well as small animals. The choice of food depends on the size and age of the crocodile: young individuals prefer invertebrates, fish, amphibians, adults prefer small mammals, reptiles and birds.
Very large crocodiles calmly cope with victims larger than themselves. This is how Nile crocodiles hunt during their migration; the saltwater crocodile hunts livestock during the rains; Madagascar can even eat.
Reptiles do not chew food; they tear it into pieces with their teeth and swallow them whole. They can leave prey that is too large at the bottom to soak. Stones swallowed by animals help in digesting food; they crush it in the stomach. Stones may have impressive size: The Nile crocodile can swallow stones up to 5 kg.
Crocodiles do not eat carrion unless they are very weak and unable to hunt; they do not touch rotten food at all. Reptiles eat quite a lot: they can consume about a quarter of their weight in food at a time. About 60% of the food consumed turns into fat, so the crocodile can fast for up to one year if necessary.
Reproduction and lifespan
The crocodile is one of the long-lived animals, he lives from 55 to 115 years. Puberty occurs early, at approximately the age of 7 - 11 years. Crocodiles are polygamous animals: a male has 10 - 12 females in his harem.
Although the animals live in water, they lay eggs on land. At night, the female digs a hole in the sand and lays about 50 eggs there, covering them with leaves or sand. The size of the depression depends on the illumination of the place: in the sun the hole becomes deeper, in the shade it is not very deep.
The eggs mature for about three months, during which time the female remains close to the clutch, practically not feeding. The sex of future crocodiles depends on the environmental temperature: females appear at 28-30° C, males at temperatures above 32° C.
Before they are born, the babies inside the eggs begin to grunt. The mother, hearing the sounds, begins to dig out the masonry. Then he helps the babies free themselves from the shell by rolling the eggs in their mouths.
The female carefully transfers the emerging crocodiles, measuring 26-28 cm, into a shallow body of water, capturing them in her mouth. There they grow for two months, after which they disperse to the surrounding, not heavily populated, reservoirs. Many small reptiles die, they become victims of birds, monitor lizards and other predators.
Surviving crocodiles first feed on insects, then hunt small fish and, from 8-10 years of age, begin to catch larger animals.
Not everyone is a danger to humans species of crocodiles. So the Nile crocodile and the saltwater crocodile are cannibals, but the gharial is not at all dangerous. Crocodile as a pet Today they are even kept in city apartments.
In their habitats, crocodiles are hunted, their meat is eaten, and their skin is used to create haberdashery, which has led to a decline in the crocodile population. In some countries today they are bred on farms; in many tribes they are considered the crocodile is a sacred animal.
Herpetologists know the answer to the question of how long crocodiles live. These reptiles have unique adaptation mechanisms to environment, their physiology is different from other terrestrial creatures, not fully studied and understood.
The order of crocodiles includes 3 families of reptiles:
- real crocodiles;
- alligators;
- gharials.
They all have approximately the same life expectancy.
A baby that has just hatched from an egg has little chance of survival. About 1 in 100 crocodiles lives more than a year and reaches sexual maturity. Young reptiles are hunted by predatory animals, birds, fish and even larger relatives. When crocodiles reach a weight of several kilograms, there are fewer enemies.
In the wild, the life expectancy of adult crocodiles is on average 50 years, but some individuals can live up to 80 years. Then they gradually lose dexterity, strength, vigilance, and are killed by their relatives. American alligators are hunted big cats, anacondas and giant otters. People destroy crocodiles for the sake of beautiful, high-quality leather, which is used to make handbags, shoes and other haberdashery products.
How many years do crocodiles live in captivity?
In captivity, crocodiles live more than 100 years. The famous “old-timer”, caught in Australia, was celebrating his 110th birthday at that time. For its fighting character, the reptile was named Cassius Clay in honor of the famous boxer.
Cassius belongs to the saltwater crocodiles; he was caught in the 80s of the last century for repeated attacks on livestock. At the time of capture, the crocodile was, according to experts, about 80 years old, and its teeth were badly damaged. The reptile's current habitat is the zoo on Green Island. Its body weight is about 1 ton and its length is more than 5 meters.
Unusual animal organism
These amazing creatures appeared on Earth more than 250 million years ago. They successfully survived the global extinction that occurred 65 million years ago, when all dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the planet.
The mystery of the “reverse” evolution of crocodiles still remains unsolved. There is an assumption that they were once warm-blooded creatures and lived on land.
Other features of the physiology of crocodiles:
- Reptiles have a 4-chambered heart that functions like a 3-chambered one while underwater. This prevents blood from stagnating in the pulmonary artery.
- When diving under water, saturated carbon dioxide blood begins to flow in the opposite direction, increasing the normal generation of gastric juice tenfold. This mechanism helps crocodiles digest ingested food.
- Crocodile teeth are not meant for chewing. The predator tears its prey with sharp fangs. For better digestion, he swallows stones. Large pebbles are found in the stomachs of crocodiles.
- Crocodile blood contains powerful antibiotics, which protects the reptile from infection and death in dirty water.
- Crocodiles have teeth that grow throughout their lives, replacing them every two years. They have a conical structure, hollow inside, and the new tooth grows in the cavity of the old one.
Features that distinguish crocodiles from other reptiles are also found in the structure of the brain; it is similar to that of a bird. The sense organs are unique, with priority given to vision and hearing, which is not typical for reptiles.
Crocodile eyes are designed in such a way that they best distinguish objects located on the side of the body. The vertical pupil provides a wide viewing angle, but reptiles cannot see what is directly in front of the muzzle. In the dark, crocodiles' eyes glow with an ominous red light.
Crocodiles touch with the entire surface of their body. Sensitive points are located along the edges of the jaw and on the torso. The horny shields on the back are so strong that they protect against bullets better than body armor. They are equipped with sensitive receptors that allow them to sense the vibration of water when potential prey comes to a drinking hole.
The largest Nile crocodile found in Africa can defeat a lion, a black rhinoceros and a hippopotamus. This is the most dangerous predator, which attacks in water and on land near bodies of water. He earned the notoriety of a cannibal and was an object of worship in ancient times.
Another amateur human meat is a saltwater crocodile. The reptile lives in mangrove swamps and river deltas, for a long time can spend in the ocean.
All true crocodiles and gharials have complex system regulation that allows them to live in salt water. Excess salt is secreted by special glands. However, saltwater crocodiles never drink sea water, and to save fresh fluid reserves in the body, their excretory organs turn on a “special” mode, separating pasty urine.
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