the.com/crocodiles
living fossils that outlasted the dinosaurs by simply refusing to evolve out of perfection.
means Large semiaquatic reptiles with armored hides, long jaws, and a famously patient menace, found in tropical rivers and wetlands worldwide.
from From Greek 'krokodilos,' which the ancient Greeks reportedly used for lizards as well — folk tradition says it joined 'kroke' (pebbles, gravel) with 'drilos' (worm), as if to call it the 'pebble-worm' or 'lizard of the stones,' supposedly because the creatures basked on sunny riverbank rocks. From Greek it passed into Latin as 'crocodilus,' then wandered through medieval forms (English once had 'cokadrille' and similar) before settling back close to its classical shape.
- Bite force
- Strongest ever measured, over 3,700 pounds per square inch
- Ancient lineage
- Largely unchanged for over 200 million years
- Tear myth
- They really do shed tears while eating
- Death roll
- Spin violently to dismember prey too big to swallow
- Cold survival
- Can go a year without eating if needed
gustave — nile crocodile in burundi, ~20 feet long, killed estimated 300 people over decades
lolong — philippine saltwater crocodile, 20.24 feet, captured 2011, largest in captivity
cholula — american crocodile in mexico, ~16 feet, lives in laguna madre since at least 1975