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American Crocodile

(Crocodylus acutus)

 

Category: Reptiles

 

 

The range of this sizeable crocodile spans from both coasts of southern Mexico, to as far south as Peru and Venezuala, as well as many Caribbean islands. While it is sometimes found in river ecosystems, it seems to prefer some salinity and coastal areas are its favorite habitat.  Although they can reach immense proportions (20 feet long and 2000 pounds!), their favorite food is fish and attacks on humans are rare.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_crocodile

http://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/crocodile.htm

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Sauropsida
Order - Crocodilia
Family - Crocodylidae
Genus - Crocodylus
Species - C. acutus

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

Here’s blood in your eye!

Horned lizards utilize a few tried-and-true ways of avoiding predators: like many other animals, they blend in with their surroundings and can puff themselves up to look larger and more threatening. But what they are best known for is a particularly messy hail-Mary play, where they startle and confuse predators by squiring blood out of their eyes! To accomplish this, the horned lizard increases the blood pressure in its head, rupturing the vessels in its eyelid, at which point a stream of blood, carefully aimed and up to 5 feet in length squirts the offending predator. The horned lizard’s blood is particularly foul to canine and feline (possibly due to the high quantity of venomous harvester ants in its diet), and should provide just enough of a diversion (or aversion!) for the lizard to scurry away and survive another day!

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