Crocodylidea

 What a big tail you have ...

What big teeth you have ...

What big claws you have ...

This is Goliath.

He is a huge Estuarine Crocodile or Salt Water Crocodile or Salty.

He is estimated to be 60 years old and is about 4 meters long.

Salties can grow up to about 7m long so he isn't that big in the scheme of things but it takes a long time for this slow growing animal to reach a huge size. 

Now big crocs like Goliath see humans as a food source but they still have the instinct to fear us, so to be on the safe side no swimming in croc areas is advised. This is especially because unlike their similar looking relative, the alligator, they don't give warning or bluff. They are aggressive and will choose to attack and mean it.

As Goliath is a huge reptile he is a cold blooded animal and during winter he goes into a partial hibernation. He cannot digest food during this time and so has very little interest in it. Instead he gets his energy from the sun so spend his time soaking up rays.



This is a little salty that is about 1meter long is only a few years old.

 Despite her smaller size I still don't think I want to mess with those little, sharp teeth.

The skin on her back is hard, tough and rough. Her hind legs are big and strong, so strong that she could still get by very well (especially in the water) without her forelegs.



Her belly is soft and smooth from sliding on her belly across sand and rocks.

Now here is another croc that doesn't grow as big and is a bit quieter.
It is a Freshwater Crocodile or a Freshy.
They only grow about as long as that big salty Goliath is now, 3 to 4 meters and are not as solid looking.

I was told yesterday that freshies are the Australian version of an alligator but with more aggression.
Some more comparisons between crocs and alligators for you:

Alligators: colour - blackish/grey, jaw - 'U' shaped, teeth - upper teeth visible when jaw is closed, habitat - freshwater swamps, lakes and slow flowing steams, location - America, China

Crocodiles: colour -  olive green/brown, jaw - 'V' shaped, teeth - lower and upper teeth visible when jaw is closed, habitat - freshwater swamps, slow moving rivers, mangroves, estuaries, location - Australia, Africa, North and South America, Asia.
 
All alligators are crocodiles yet all crocodiles are not alligators. This is because both alligators and crocodiles are members of the reptilian order Crocodylian yet are from two different families, the Alligatoridea family and the Crocodylidea family

Now this place may look a bit familiar. Yep we've been back to the Cairns Wildlife Dome which I blogged about about a 3 weeks ago here with this weeks student. She loved the animals and touching a crocodile.

What animals are special to your area?

Do you have crocodiles or alligators?