the.com/crocodile
a dinosaur that filed no extinction paperwork and runs the swamp to this day
means A large semi-aquatic reptile with armored skin, a long snout, and powerful jaws, found in tropical rivers and swamps.
from From Greek 'krokodilos,' which the ancients reportedly applied to lizards basking on stones — possibly a blend of 'kroke' (pebbles, gravel) and 'drilos' (worm), roughly 'pebble-worm,' for creatures that sunned themselves on rocky riverbanks. It traveled through Latin 'crocodilus' into Old French and English, and along the way picked up odd spellings like 'cokedrille' before settling back into its classical shape.
- bite force
- strongest jaws measured, over 3,700 PSI
- fake tears
- crocodiles really do weep while eating
- ancient lineage
- older than dinosaurs, roughly 200 million years
- galloping
- some species can bound like horses on land
- cold blooded math
- can survive a year between meals
saltwater crocodile — largest living reptile, found in australia and southeast asia, up to 20 feet long
nile crocodile — second largest crocodile species, responsible for estimated 200+ human deaths annually in africa
gharial — critically endangered crocodilian with elongated snout, fewer than 200 remain in india's rivers