Julie Murray - Crocodiles

Crocodiles

Julie Murray

Big Buddy Books

An Imprint of Abdo Publishing
abdobooks.com

abdobooks.com

Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439.

Copyright 2020 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Big Buddy Books is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing.

Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota
052019
092019

Design: Sarah DeYoung, Mighty Media, Inc.
Production: Mighty Media, Inc.
Editor: Liz Salzmann

Cover Photograph: Shutterstock

Interior Photographs: iStockphoto (pp. 45, 29); Shutterstock (pp. 6, 9 (both), 11 (all), 12, 15, 1617,
19, 21, 23, 25, 26)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018939810

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Murray, Julie, author.

Title: Crocodiles / by Julie Murray.

Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Abdo Publishing, 2020. | Series:

Animal kingdom | Includes online resources and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781532116254 (lib.bdg.) | ISBN 9781532157745 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Crocodiles--Juvenile literature. | Crocodiles--Behavior-

Juvenile literature. | Reptiles--Juvenile literature. | Reptiles--Behavior-
Juvenile literature.

Classification: DDC 597.982--dc23

Crocodiles Are
Reptiles

Crocodiles have been around for
millions of years. They were even
here when dinosaurs lived. Like the
dinosaurs, crocodiles are reptiles .
Alligators, lizards, snakes, and turtles
are reptiles too.

The saltwater crocodile is the
largest reptile in the world.

Lying in sunshine is
called basking.

Reptiles are ectothermic animals.
Ectothermic animals cannot make heat
inside their bodies. Reptiles must lie in
sunshine to get warm. They need shade
or water to cool down.

Crocodilians

Crocodiles and alligators are related .
They are in a group called crocodilians.
Crocodiles and alligators look alike. One
way to tell them apart is by their snouts .

An alligators snout is shorter and
wider than a crocodiles. It is rounded at
the end. A crocodile has a longer snout.
It is more pointed on the end.

When an alligators mouth is closed,
its lower teeth are hidden.

When a crocodiles mouth is closed,
some of its lower teeth show.

What They
Look Like

There are 14 kinds of crocodiles. Like
other reptiles , they have tough skin
with scales. A crocodiles skin may be
brown, black, green, tan, or gray.

Most crocodiles are about 11 feet
(3 m) long. Saltwater crocodiles can be
more than 20 feet (6 m) long. African
dwarf crocodiles are smaller. They are
about five feet (2 m) long.

Saltwater Crocodile

Most Crocodiles

African Dwarf Crocodile

A crocodile can breathe
while keeping most of
its body underwater.

A crocodiles eyes, ears, and nose are
on the top of its head. So, these reptiles
can see, hear, and smell while floating
in water.

A crocodile has four short legs. It has
a long tail for swimming. Crocodiles
can swim as fast as nine miles an hour
(15 kmh). They can walk on land too.

Where They Live

Crocodiles live in tropical areas
around the world. The American
crocodile lives in Florida, Mexico,
Central America , and northern South
America . The Nile crocodile lives in
Africa . Saltwater crocodiles live in India,
Southeast Asia , New Guinea, the
Philippines, and northern Australia .

The weather is always warm
where crocodiles live.

Crocodiles can stay underwater
for an hour at a time.

Crocodiles spend much of
their time in water. They live near
swamps , rivers, and lakes. Saltwater
crocodiles can live in salt water.

Hunting and
Eating

Crocodiles are predators. They hunt
and eat animals. Crocodiles eat frogs,
fish, and birds. Large crocodiles may
eat larger animals, such as deer or
zebras.

Crocodiles often ambush their prey .