Reptile pedigree, crocodile species, home territories, behavior and appearance, keeping at home, buying a reptile and its price. When you come to visit your friends, relatives and acquaintances, you are probably aware that they have a pet. Today, you no longer have to be very surprised if on the doorstep of someone's house you are met not by a kitten or a dog, even the rarest and most original breeds, but by a lemur, a monkey dressed in a beautiful tracksuit or a raccoon that has just finished its wash …
What will be your reaction if your friend boasts of a completely unaccustomed pet to you, for example, a crocodile. This is not a joke or a fiction, it really does take place. After all, some lovers of exoticism and thrills give birth to crocodiles instead of their usual four-legged shaggy comrades.
Who is this crocodile - a pet or is it still the most dangerous predator from the depths of rivers and seas? On this question, perhaps, no one will give you an unambiguous answer. After all, all people on our globe are accustomed to have their own opinion, which often differs from the generally accepted one. And if a person has a fixed idea in his head that he has dreamed all his adult life that he will contemplate a crocodile in his house every day - so be it. Perhaps, having heard this, you will doubt its adequacy, but who knows suddenly, after seeing this beautiful and strong creation of nature, you will also start dreaming about such a pet.
In the event that you are doing your best to bring this large reptile into your home, think carefully. After all, a real, live crocodile is very much different in appearance, and even more so in character traits and behavioral features from the cute crocodile Gena, humming songs about a blue carriage and birthday. In addition, take into account also the duration of the life period of your cherished pet, it sometimes exceeds 85 years, and during this time a lot can change, and such an animal is unlikely to be taken by someone from you for overexposure, as a gift or just in good hands.
The origin of the crocodile and native habitats
Despite the fact that crocodiles are one of the most ancient animals, many mysteries and inaccuracies have always hovered around their scientific classification. Some scientists believe that it is crocodiles that are a modern continuation or surviving relatives of dinosaurs. Namely, these are representatives of a large group of reptiles called archosaurs.
They also belong to the family and genus, true crocodiles. This large family is represented by a large number of species of various crocodiles, which differ among themselves, both in appearance and in natural habitats.
Varieties of crocodiles and their characteristic features
Nile crocodile
Probably - this is the most famous species among all its relatives, with the largest distribution area. This reptile lives in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Republic of Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and many more countries on the African continent. There is information that until recently these animals lived in Israel, but there they were exterminated. In ancient times, a very large crocodile population inhabited Palestine, but today they can be seen only in one place - the Crocodile River, while there are very few of them.
As a rule, these large reptiles live in freshwater lakes, rivers and even small drying puddles. They almost never leave the water, but such incidents happen in their lives that their house simply dries up and even then they overcome many kilometers in search of a new reservoir for life. So, at such moments it seems possible to walk through the woods or sit on the lawn and meet there none other than the crocodile himself.
This is a huge animal, on average, the length of their powerful body is approximately 5, 4–5 m, but it all depends on the climatic conditions of their living environment. If the crocodile lives quite comfortably and does not worry about the lack of food or water, then this specimen can easily grow over 6 m.
In those territories where there is not enough water resources, these reptiles grow only up to 2–2, 8 m, for this reason they were christened dwarf Nile crocodiles.
Young reptiles are painted in olive and brown colors of darker shades; on their bodies and tail processes, you can notice a beautiful, expressive black ornament. When the animal grows up, then, as this is done, the pattern and the main color of the color fades and becomes less noticeable. Usually, the age of the crocodile is determined by the characteristic pattern and its color.
In the wild, they all live under the conditions of strict subordination, and the dominant individuals are males of the largest sizes. More and more miniature crocodiles are simply obliged to yield to these giants the best females and tasty prey.
If you observe these Nile reptiles, you will notice that they are accustomed to the measured pace of the working day. They optimally alternate between rest periods, at this time they can lie on the water, as if in weightlessness or calmly swim short distances, also crocodiles have a period of looking for a future lunch, and, in fact, a meal time.
They usually go to the shore early in the morning and wait there for the morning sun rays, they like to dry out under them, while the reptile's mouth is open, like a dog's during the heat period, at this time of day on land you can see almost all the inhabitants of this river or lake. During the period of such a rest, at the same time, the hierarchy is also observed - the most convenient and comfortable places are occupied by the most revered male, respectively, young individuals have to make do and be content with what is left. When the sun is already beating down mercilessly, the reptile goes to cool down in its reservoir.
This period of idleness among the inhabitants of the Nile can continue until the crocodile feels a sudden outbreak of hunger, without food in hot weather, this reptile can calmly exist for several days, and sometimes months. After each feeding, a certain supply of adipose tissue is deposited from her, from which she draws energy if there is no food nearby. The hunting season for these "nibbles" starts at dusk and lasts until the morning.
The diet of reptiles also varies greatly depending on age and status in the family. Young crocodiles are allowed to hunt exclusively in the water, so the basis of their diet is small aquatic insects, fish, later they begin to eat reptiles and amphibians. But already mature males get serious food for themselves - antelopes, hippos, various representatives of the feline family, sometimes the king of animals, hyenas, monkeys can fall into the crocodile's mouth. But they will also not give up fish or turtles. Looking at such a list of foods, it is not surprising that they can go on a diet for a long time.
Siamese crocodile
Compared to its Nile counterpart, it is a medium-sized reptile, the body length of which does not exceed 2.5–3 m. A strong, stocky body, as if wrapped in dense skin, which somewhat resembles a protective chain mail and ends with a large muscular tail process. The head is held horizontally in front of the entire body.
The front limbs of the Siamese eccentric end with five fingers separated from each other, but on the back there are only four of them and they are partially webbed. The visual organs are located in the upper part of the head and are close to each other, which provides the reptile with binocular vision. There is also the so-called additional "third eyelid", it performs a barrier function for the eyes of the crocodile while diving under water, in its structure it is almost imperceptible, transparent, which does not interfere with the animal's vision.
The reptile's nostrils are also originally placed - at the very end of the muzzle, this location allows this miracle of nature to be saturated with oxygen even while its entire body is immersed in water.
Combed crocodile
Quite a common reptile in the territories that are washed by the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. The largest number of individuals of this species is observed on the entire coast of India and in the north of Australia, sometimes this reptile independently visits Japan and the Philippines.
This is a powerful crocodile, which by nature has got very strong jaws and a fairly large head. The skin is represented by small scales that have a regular oval shape.
In younger individuals of the combed species, a bright, memorable color is observed, which is formed by the main yellowish color, against the background of which many black spots can be seen located on the body and tail. But as soon as the babies reach puberty, their color fades noticeably and the beautiful yellow tone gradually transforms into a gray-green hue, sometimes with a small amount of brown spots, in some representatives of real crocodiles, the body becomes completely dark and uniform. But the projection of the abdominal cavity is almost always white, which gives it a special look.
Sex differences in these reptiles can be noticed immediately, the female half of the crocodile brotherhood is always smaller in size and in body weight. So the length of the body of an adult, sexually mature female is approximately 2–2, 3 m, and the weight is about 400–460 kg. The same parameters in males are usually almost twice as large. This is one of the largest species of crocodiles, such a conclusion can be made even if you see newborn crocodiles and watch their growth and development. A one-day-old crocodile baby weighs approximately 70–90 g, with a body length of 25–35 cm. And at the age of one year, these “children” grow up to 1 m. Sexual maturity in these reptiles does not occur at a certain age, but when they are up to it "grows". So male crocodiles become sexually mature when their body length is 3 m, females - with a body length of 2 m.
Blunt crocodile
This inhabitant of the wetlands of central and western Africa differs from its relatives in miniature size. The body length of an adult male blunt-nosed crocodile does not exceed 150–160 cm. The main color is black, in the head region, on the back and in some places on the tail, you can see several inclusions of light brown color. The skin of the abdomen is painted yellowish with a slight pattern formed by black spots. In young blunt-nosed reptiles, brown lines can be seen on both sides of the body and on the back, and yellow dots on the head, but the older the reptiles become, the more the body color becomes monotonous.
The muzzle of the animal is relatively short and bluntly rounded, which is why it got its name. In the oral cavity of this reptile, there are from 60 to 64 teeth.
This species differs from all other true crocodiles in that it has a septum of bone tissue, which divides the cavity of its nose into two parts. Also, the upper eyelid of the crocodile is covered with a bone shield. If you see the head of a blunt-nosed reptile sticking out of the water, you will notice that it more resembles the outlines of the muzzle of a huge frog than an ordinary crocodile.
Crocodile maintenance, home care
Probably the most difficult thing in caring for a semi-aquatic predator in captivity is preparing its personal residence, given its considerable size. Usually, if a crocodile lives at home, then special aquariums-terrariums are used as its home, the area of which should not be just large, in its home the animal should be able to move and unfold freely. Therefore, when purchasing such a crocodile apartment, you need to rely on the maximum size of your pet.
Inside such a structure as an aquaterrarium, there should be not only its own microclimate, but also a section of land and water, the ratio of which is very important. More than half the area of your pet's house should be for swimming, and all that is left for resting on land. Water is poured into his dwelling enough so that the reptile can freely swim at least a short distance, and it is best to make a difference in depths. Young individuals are not as daring as adult males, so it will be good to make a shelter in the pool, from under which they will imperceptibly trap air. The exit from the pool should be gentle, as this craftsman can drown if he cannot get out of his personal lake.
In the dry part of the aquaterrarium, it is necessary to install a local heating device, where the crocodile will rest from bathing procedures and dry out its overall body. Inside the terrarium, you can plant a wide variety of aquatic plants - this is beautiful from the outside, and your pupil will be more accustomed and more comfortable to live among the greenery.
Good ventilation is the key to a comfortable life for your original pet. No matter how ventilated the cover of the crocodile house is, you cannot do without additional devices, for example, a conventional microcompressor for aquariums - most of all, it very effectively provides your pet with fresh air.
If you want your home crocodile to live and enjoy being with you side by side, then his diet should not only be healthy and nutritious, but also varied. For the first time you live together, your tenant should be fed bloodworms or mealyworms, feeding him gently with tweezers. You can also put food in containers, but the worms tend to crawl, and your pet will remain hungry. And so he will be full, well, he will quickly get used to you.
Later, you can offer your crocodile and larger insects, such as locusts or large cockroaches. Your pet will never give up fresh fish, if the reptile is still very young, then it is better to clean the fish of bones and scales. Also, a necessary dish for crocodiles will be lean meats such as chicken, turkey, veal. You can also occasionally pamper your pet with small mammals and amphibians. From time to time, it is good to feed your pet with vitamin complexes.
The fact that this semi-aquatic predator has already satisfied its hunger, you will immediately notice by the swollen belly and slow movements of the fed reptile.
Acquisition and price of a reptile
Despite the fact that a crocodile in a person's house is a rather rare phenomenon, it will not be difficult to buy such an original animal. The main thing with such a purchase is to make sure that the reptile is not torn out of the wild by poachers and does not have health problems. It is best to buy small crocodiles, they get used to home conditions better. Their prices vary depending on the type. For example, a combed crocodile will cost you about 70,000 rubles, a Siamese from 100,000 to 130,000 rubles, but for a Nile reptile you will have to pay from 150,000 to 350,000 rubles.
How to keep a crocodile at home, see below:
