Crocodile Farm Site Guide

On monday we went to the croc farm Thaba Kwena to learn site guide on a Crocodile farm.
Before we went we needed to do research on crocodiles spesificly the Nile crocodile which is the main species foun in South Africa.
The diffrent sections of the facts on crocs were divided into 16 parts and eash of the students reciaved a topic.
My topis was:

• Heart
• Mouth
• Salt Glands
• Stomach

Heart

4 Chambers

A crocodile has Four heart chambers much like a human. This is for optimum feed of oxygen rich blood to the entire area of this giants body.

3 Chambers

Like many reptiles who have 3 heart chambers the crocodile can use its heart in the same way. This helps it to use less energy when they are simply lying in the water. What happens is that they send much less oxygen-rich-blood to their limbs and concentrate it to the heart and brain. Thus they can stay submerged for up to two hours.

Crocodiles have the most complicated heart of all the vertebrates

This is because it is so well adapted to

1.Water

2.Land

3.Hot

4.Cold

5.Being as still as death

6.Sudden fast movement

In the summer its heart beats about 4 times a minute and in winter it slows to once every 30 seconds and to even as slow as once every two minutes. It’s heartbeat also slows down drastically when it spends long periods of time under water: this is to save energy.

Mouth

Nasal Passages

Are seperated by secondary pallet aiding under water feeding

Jaw Muscles

Very strong clamping down muscles causing a pressure of 1.5 tons of pressure per square cm.

Yet at the same time they have poorly developed opening muscles.

Gular flap

The gular flap is found at the back of the mouth. It closes when the crocodile goes under water

It also lets them eat small prey under water. The gular flap closes their Oesophagus and their trachea (Food and Air pipes)

Salt Glands

Excretes

The glands are found on the crocodiles tongue. It uses the glands to excretes excess salt from its body. This makes them more easily adapted to surviving salty water.

Salt water consumption

A crocodile can not drink salt water. Instead the salt water crocodile gains its fresh water from its prey. Unlike turtles who can consume salt water.

Tummy

Stones

Crocodiles swallows up to 1 % of its body weight in small stones.

Why?

•Aids Digestion

•Gives the croc stability

•Aids buoyancy

•In creases specific gravity

•It sinks more easily into the water with prey.

Gizzard

Hard piece at base of throught helps grind food as it goes to the stomach. Same adaption found in birds

Increases specific gravity

The weight of the stones makes it easier for the croc to submerge and at the same time take 12% more air into its lungs this helps it stay submerged for longer.