 
 Watch out for our resident
nesting female saltwater crocodile! She sits on her nest, guarding her eggs in
the Museum. When eggs hatch in the wild, the mother carries the babies down to
the water in her mouth, then protects them for up to two months.
The Crocodile Museum
(continued)
As you round the corner, you witness the
variety of different habitats in which crocodiles live. Moving on, we come face
to face with two live crocodiles - a group of juvenile saltwater crocodiles and
one freshwater crocodile. But, just how many crocodile species are there?
Living crocodilians
Today, there are 23
extant species of crocodilian around the world. These include
alligators in North America and China,
caimans in Central and South America,
gharials in India, and the 'true
crocodiles' which are found in the Americas, Africa, India, Asia and
Australia.
DIVERSITY OF FORMS:
(Example)
|
Cuvier's dwarf caiman
(Paleosuchus palpebrosus) |
Indian gharial
(Gavialis
gangeticus) |
|
Australian Freshwater Crocodile
(Crocodylus johnstoni) |
American alligator
(Alligator mississippiensis) |
Did you know...?
The largest living reptile in the world is the Australian saltwater
crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). Large males can can grow over 6 metres
(20 feet) in length and exceed a ton in weight! The largest ever seen may have
been 7 metres (23 feet) long.
The smallest crocodilian is Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus
palpebrosus) which is found in South America. Adults rarely grow larger than
1.2 metres (4 feet), and they spend most of their time hiding in burrows during
the day, coming out at night to feed and patrol their territory in rainforest
streams. |
 
|
