Sooo... let's see how you do on this test for crocs, gators, & gharials!
Should be fairly simple to figure it out if you remember these three things:
- snout shape
- "pinch" in snout (or not) for lower 4th tooth
- visible upper/lower teeth.
Where kids learn about animals of the world!
Monday
Got Croc? A Little Croc Test.....
Sooo... let's see how you do on this test for crocs, gators, & gharials!
Should be fairly simple to figure it out if you remember these three things:
Got Croc? A Little Croc Test.....
Sooo... let's see how you do on this test for crocs, gators, & gharials!
Should be fairly simple to figure it out if you remember these three things:
- snout shape
- "pinch" in snout (or not) for lower 4th tooth
- visible upper/lower teeth.
Okay, let's go!
Next post I'll give you the answers...
...not that you need them, right? :)
Thursday
Can you confuse a gator with a gharial?
General: The gharial is second only to the saltwater crocodile in size, growing up to 21 feet in length! It is found in the rivers of India and surrounding countries. The elongated snout is perfect for catching its main food...fish!
Let's look at three simple IKs* for the gharial:
Let's look at three simple IKs* for the gharial:
1st IK: Long narrow snout; adult males have a bulb, or ghara, on the tip.
2nd IK: Many interlocking teeth show when the gharial's mouth is closed.
3rd IK: They slide on land because gharials are not able to lift their bellies off the ground.
You could pretty much spot a gharial without the second and third IKs, but it's always nice to have backup info. My next blog will test your knowledge on all three types of crocodilians, so you can enjoy spotting the differences when you next see one!
The gharial is considered an endangered animal...for more information, visit the Gharial Conservation Alliance.
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
Top photo courtesy Gharial Conservation Alliance and Saravana Kumar.
Can you confuse a gator with a gharial?
General: The gharial is second only to the saltwater crocodile in size, growing up to 21 feet in length! It is found in the rivers of India and surrounding countries. The elongated snout is perfect for catching its main food...fish!
Let's look at three simple IKs* for the gharial:
Let's look at three simple IKs* for the gharial:
1st IK: Long narrow snout; adult males have a bulb, or ghara, on the tip.
2nd IK: Many interlocking teeth show when the gharial's mouth is closed.
3rd IK: They slide on land because gharials are not able to lift their bellies off the ground.
You could pretty much spot a gharial without the second and third IKs, but it's always nice to have backup info. My next blog will test your knowledge on all three types of crocodilians, so you can enjoy spotting the differences when you next see one!
The gharial is considered an endangered animal...for more information, visit the Gharial Conservation Alliance.
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
Top photo courtesy Gharial Conservation Alliance and Saravana Kumar.
Monday
What's living under New York City?
Alligators!
They could come up the plumbing and into your bathtub! Right?
Well, in case the picture above has you concerned, there's no hard evidence that there are gators in the sewers of New York. Why not?
It's too cold for them! :)
With that said, let's check out how the alligator is different from the crocodile; take a look at the alligators in the photos below.
They could come up the plumbing and into your bathtub! Right?
Well, in case the picture above has you concerned, there's no hard evidence that there are gators in the sewers of New York. Why not?
It's too cold for them! :)
With that said, let's check out how the alligator is different from the crocodile; take a look at the alligators in the photos below.
General: The alligator is found in the southern part of North America and in the eastern part of China. The caiman is smaller in size and lives in South America. Let's look at three simple IKs* for the alligator and the caiman in the corresponding photos:
1st IK: Broad, u-shaped snout.**
2nd IK: Generally, only the upper teeth show when the alligator's mouth is closed.
3rd IK: Adult alligators are of a dark or black color, with babies having yellow stripes. Caimans are dull olive green.
Compare these IKs with my post on crocodiles here and look at the differences. And look for my next post on the last of the crocodilians....the gharial.
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
** The mugger crocodile, found in India and surrounding areas, also has a u-shaped snout, which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has all other characteristics of a crocodile. See a pic of him here.
What's living under New York City?
Alligators!
They could come up the plumbing and into your bathtub! Right?
Well, in case the picture above has you concerned, there's no hard evidence that there are gators in the sewers of New York. Why not?
It's too cold for them! :)
With that said, let's check out how the alligator is different from the crocodile; take a look at the alligators in the photos below.
They could come up the plumbing and into your bathtub! Right?
Well, in case the picture above has you concerned, there's no hard evidence that there are gators in the sewers of New York. Why not?
It's too cold for them! :)
With that said, let's check out how the alligator is different from the crocodile; take a look at the alligators in the photos below.
General: The alligator is found in the southern part of North America and in the eastern part of China. The caiman is smaller in size and lives in South America. Let's look at three simple IKs* for the alligator and the caiman in the corresponding photos:
1st IK: Broad, u-shaped snout.**
2nd IK: Generally, only the upper teeth show when the alligator's mouth is closed.
3rd IK: Adult alligators are of a dark or black color, with babies having yellow stripes. Caimans are dull olive green.
Compare these IKs with my post on crocodiles here and look at the differences. And look for my next post on the last of the crocodilians....the gharial.
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
*On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
** The mugger crocodile, found in India and surrounding areas, also has a u-shaped snout, which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has all other characteristics of a crocodile. See a pic of him here.
Friday
That crocodile smile....
Crocodiles certainly have a fixed grin, but do they also cry? Crocs do shed tears, but not for the reasons we do. When a crocodile has been out of the water for a long time, his eyes will start to dry out and tears will form. For more about crocodile tears, click here.
General: There are more than a dozen different kinds of crocodile. Some can live in salt water (which makes sunning on the beaches of southern Florida a bit scary!) Let's look at three simple IKs* for crocodiles and the corresponding photos:
1st IK: Narrow, v-shaped snout.**
2nd IK: When the mouth is closed, the upper and lower teeth show, and a noticeable indent in the crocodile's snout allows room for the jutting lower fourth tooth.
3rd IK: Adults are of a tan, brown or brown color.
These IKs may soon have you able to recognize a crocodile anywhere! Stay tuned for my next post on alligators, and start looking for the differences.
* On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
** The mugger crocodile, found in the fresh water of India and surrounding areas, has a u-shaped snout which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has the tell-tale notch in the snout to accommodate the jutting lower tooth. See a pic of him below!
** The mugger crocodile, found in the fresh water of India and surrounding areas, has a u-shaped snout which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has the tell-tale notch in the snout to accommodate the jutting lower tooth. See a pic of him below!
That crocodile smile....
Crocodiles certainly have a fixed grin, but do they also cry? Crocs do shed tears, but not for the reasons we do. When a crocodile has been out of the water for a long time, his eyes will start to dry out and tears will form. For more about crocodile tears, click here.
General: There are more than a dozen different kinds of crocodile. Some can live in salt water (which makes sunning on the beaches of southern Florida a bit scary!) Let's look at three simple IKs* for crocodiles and the corresponding photos:
1st IK: Narrow, v-shaped snout.**
2nd IK: When the mouth is closed, the upper and lower teeth show, and a noticeable indent in the crocodile's snout allows room for the jutting lower fourth tooth.
3rd IK: Adults are of a tan, brown or brown color.
These IKs may soon have you able to recognize a crocodile anywhere! Stay tuned for my next post on alligators, and start looking for the differences.
* On many of my blog posts, I will have photos showing readily identifiable characteristics of each animal. I will provide a general description that gives clues to help identify the animal, and then some specific Identification Key, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)
** The mugger crocodile, found in the fresh water of India and surrounding areas, has a u-shaped snout which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has the tell-tale notch in the snout to accommodate the jutting lower tooth. See a pic of him below!
** The mugger crocodile, found in the fresh water of India and surrounding areas, has a u-shaped snout which gives it an alligator look. The mugger is brown or gray in color, however, and has the tell-tale notch in the snout to accommodate the jutting lower tooth. See a pic of him below!
Wednesday
If you swim with crocodiles....
Made a household name by Steve Irwin, the saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile on earth today! But did you know that there are three types of croc in the crocodile family?
Are they all dangerous? Take a look at the sign above, posted in Australia...humans and crocodiles just don't mix. Even the smallest, the caiman, can give a vicious bite!
- the true crocodile (like the salty)
- the alligator and caiman
- the gharial (gavial)
Are they all dangerous? Take a look at the sign above, posted in Australia...humans and crocodiles just don't mix. Even the smallest, the caiman, can give a vicious bite!
Do they look a lot alike? You bet they do. So we are going to use Identification Keys (IKs) to see the differences between them, and when we're done, you should be able to tell a gator from a croc from a gharial, no problem!
If you swim with crocodiles....
Made a household name by Steve Irwin, the saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile on earth today! But did you know that there are three types of croc in the crocodile family?
Are they all dangerous? Take a look at the sign above, posted in Australia...humans and crocodiles just don't mix. Even the smallest, the caiman, can give a vicious bite!
- the true crocodile (like the salty)
- the alligator and caiman
- the gharial (gavial)
Are they all dangerous? Take a look at the sign above, posted in Australia...humans and crocodiles just don't mix. Even the smallest, the caiman, can give a vicious bite!
Do they look a lot alike? You bet they do. So we are going to use Identification Keys (IKs) to see the differences between them, and when we're done, you should be able to tell a gator from a croc from a gharial, no problem!
Tuesday
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