Crocodiles In Costa Rica

Crocodiles are among the most biologically complex reptiles despite their prehistoric look. These creatures are only about 250 to 300 mm when they hatch. But over their lifespan they become massive. Most adults average a length of 2.5 to 3 m and weigh from 100 to 270 kg. The largest males can reach 6 or 7 meters.

Crocodiles have a streamlined body that enables them to swim swiftly. They tuck their feet to their sides while swimming, which makes them faster by decreasing water resistance. They have webbed feet allowing them to make fast turns and sudden moves in the water. Webbed feet are an advantage in shallower water where the animals sometimes move around by walking. Crocodiles are very fast over short distances, even out of water.

Since crocodiles feed by grabbing and holding onto their prey, they have evolved sharp teeth for tearing and holding onto flesh and powerful muscles that close the jaws to hold them shut. These jaws can bite down with immense force, by far this is the strongest bite of any animal. The crocodile's bite force is more than 5,000 pounds per square inch compared to just, 400 pounds per square inch for a large great white shark.

These fascinating creatures are silent predators. They wait for fish or land animals to come close and then they rush out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they are lethargic, therefore survive long periods without food and rarely need to actively go hunting. This advantageous feature makes them a little bit of lazy. Even though they have a slow appearance, crocodiles are top predators in their environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing sharks. These crocodiles establish territories in large rivers or streams, swamps, lagoons, or estuaries. They can tolerate salted water, so they may also be found in salted marshes, freshwater marshes, mangroves, swamp forests, river mouths, and sometimes in the open ocean. The bodies of water in which they live are usually in lowland, dry, moist, or wet forests.

At one time, the American Crocodile lived in most lowland areas of Central America. But this powerful animal was excessively hunted for its valuable skin and because they were believed to pose a threat. By the 1960s, they were exterminated from much of their former range. A concentrated effort in the 1980s and 1990s helped this crocodile return to more of its former home ranges, and now it lives in protected areas along both coasts in Costa Rica.

Adults are very territorial and use vocalizations or physical warnings to protect their boundaries specially in the breeding season. Adults copulate in water, after which the female lays and covers 20 to 60 eggs in a nest dug out of the ground. She guards the nest for up to 3 months. The sex of a crocodile is affected by egg temperature during incubation, which is referred to as temperature-dependent sex determination. When the hatchlings begin to emerge, they scream for her. She carefully helps them exit and carries each baby in her mouth to the water. She will stay with them temporarily to protect them from predators, mainly small mammals and birds, which may also eat crocodile eggs.