Crocodile ; Physical, Chemical, Geological

The video below was the one presented in class today. It shows how the Crocodile interacts physically, chemically, and geologically in various environments. Pay close attention to each of the five videos because each video shows an interesting aspect of the Croc. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljY6MZ8UA

American Crocodile

Good morning everyone,

This post will deal with the American Crocodile in the Mangrove Habitat.

The American Crocodile or the Crocodylus acutus, is the species of crocodilian found in North and South America. Do not let this statement fool you, this 20-ft long dinosaur can be found in various nations in South American, but it can only be found in Southern Florida, in North American. The American crocodile is considered one of the largest species of crocodile on the planet.

What is Looks like, Physical description, in other words, the Good Stuff

The American crocodile is a quadruped, with four short, splayed lets, a long tail, with scutes running down its back and a long snout. The crocodiles eyes are one of a kind, they have nictitating membranes for protection. Often times when a predator is caught in the jaws of a crocodile, they will attack its eyes.

As you can see in the picture below, its nostrils, eyes, and ears are situated on the top of its head. These ancient creatures often crawl on their bellies and can reach a speed of 10-mph on land. It is in the water that these creatures thrive in, be able to reach speeds as fast as 20-mph.

At birth they are on average, 9 inches and can become over 20 feet long, weighing in at 2,220 pounds.

The American Crocodile is considered an endangered species.

An interesting fact is that if the water the crocodile is in is colder than 45 degrees F, then the creature will die. Also, crocodiles have a Palatal Flap in the back of their throat that stops water from entering their throat and drowning them. This gives them that ability to have their mouths open under water. Pretty Cool eh?

Crocodiles and Mangroves, who could want more?

Crocodiles and Mangroves have an interesting interaction between each other. The American Crocodile, thrives in Salt water. Due to this scientist, believe that is the reason they grow faster than the American alligator. The Mangroves also provided double the salinity as anywhere else, making it an ideal living location for the animal.

These crocodiles are Apex Predators, eating anything that it feels like. As it gets older, it moves on to bigger prey. For example, a baby crocodile will eat insects, small reptiles, and fish. Were as a full grown male crocodile will eat sharks, people, pets, cattle...you name it, it will eat it.

Conclusion

Crocodiles are at the top of the food chain, not just in North and South America, but all over the world. The American Crocodile, that is uniquely found in North and South American Mangroves, is a bit different then crocodiles from around the world. It thrives in high salinity water, that actually helps it grow. The other organisms that will be presented on this page coexist with the crocodile because they are to small.

I hope was informative, if you have any questions, feel free to post questions in the comment section.

Sources

1May11, Crocodile Specialist Group, Crocodylus acutus. 2006. www.iucnredlist.org

1May11, Guggisberg, C. Crocodiles: Their Natural History, Folklore, and Conservation. pg 195.

1May11, Gregg, Gordon, Morphology & Physiology of the Crocodylia.

1May11, Kushlan, J, "Historic and present distribution of the American Crocodile.

1May11, Wiki Crocodile.

Long time No See

Good morning everyone,

It has been awhile since my last post and I feel it necessary to reintroduce myself. My name is Peter Bue, a 21 year old, Studies of War and Peace major at Norwich University. This blog was set up so that my group and I, who have been focussing our time on the Mangrove Habitat and various creatures of Mangroves, can better inform you. Below I will reintroduce the Mangrove, let you know what it is about, how creatures interact with in it, and some interesting details. It is my hopes, that after reading the next few posts, you will be better informed of Mangroves and the American Crocodile.

Mangroves

A brief definition of Mangroves is trees of medium height that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics. The interesting part of this is that they thrive in extreme saline environments. The salinity around the Mangrove Habitat is often twice that of the ocean. Mangroves dominate three quarters of tropical coastlines and within the habitat, their are about 110 species that are considered mangroves. Do not let the large number distract you though, often times in any single mangrove there will be 3-4 tree species.

Mangroves also protect coastal areas from erosion, storms, and large waves. This is because of the massive roots that the mangrove trees have. Mangroves also have a very large creature habitat (that will be discussed throughout this blog) as well.

Mangroves can be found all over the world and in some places, they are even harvested.

Key Points to Take Away

Even though their are a recognized 110 mangrove species, only about 54 are "true" mangroves species. Over time, these species have gone through an extreme adaptation process because of the high salinity in the mangrove Habitat. That is perhaps the biggest take away from this. Mangrove species have had to adapt arguably more than any other species on earth because of the changing environment on the Mangroves.

Sources

1May11. University of California at Los Angeles. http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/worldvegetation/marinewetlands/mangal/index.html.

1May11. Morphological and Physiological Adaptations. Florida Mangroves, http://www.nhmi.org/mangroves/phy.htm.

1May11. Hogarth, Peter J. 1999, The Biology of Mangroves,Oxford University Press, Oxford England.