World of Dinosaurs/Animals to Know/Crocodylus
Basics[edit | edit source]
Crocodylus is the latin name for the crocodile.
Anatomy[edit | edit source]
Crocodiles have short legs with webbed feet.
They have very powerful bite forces, but the muscles to open their jaws are very weak.
Phylogeny[edit | edit source]
Crocodiles are alive today, and are related to a great variety of animals that lived during the time of large dinosaurs.
Biomechanics[edit | edit source]
Salt water crocodiles have a bite force of 3,700 pounds per square inch, or 16,460 Newtons.
Fossil Record[edit | edit source]
Ancient crocodilians have been found as far back as the Jurassic Period.
The oldest true crocodile fossil is 95 million years old and was found in Portugal.
Ecology[edit | edit source]
Crocodiles are semiaquatic animals.
They tend to live in fresh water bodies, though some can live in salt water.
They are carnivorous and can eat a wide variety of species.
Crocodiles in Africa are perhaps the most famous due to the abundance of nature documentaries on them.
Biogeography[edit | edit source]
They live in fresh water bodies, though some species live in salt water.