1. The Crocs: Harsh
Masters of Africa’s Rivers
In Africa's inland lakes, rivers and wetlands,
the crocodile rules as the supreme predator. Crocs- as they
are popularly known, are feared and despised, mainly on account
of their enduring image as evil, unforgiving and ruthless
man-eaters. The beasts are large aquatic reptiles of the crocodilian
family, and are closely related to alligators, caimans and
gavials. In Africa they are common south of the Sahara and
on the island of Madagascar.
Crocodiles are of ancient pedigree and little
has changed about them since departure of the dinosaurs. Among
reptiles, they are the most advanced - in terms of lifestyle,
and especially physiologically. Though they are reptiles,
they are closer to birds and dinosaurs.
In ancient Egypt, crocs enjoyed great prestige
and were revered as a manifestation of Sobek- a god of fertility,
and also as a symbol of the power of the Pharaohs. Mummified
crocodiles have been found in ancient burial sites and even
in royal sarcophagus. Major temples dedicated to the worship
of Sobek can be found at Kom-Ombo and Al Fayyum.
Crocs resemble giant lizards. They have monstrous
jaws with copious teeth, rough scaly skin, four squat legs
and a long and powerful tail. They live in and around water
masses, spending most of their time submerged in water. They
prey on other animals- both vertebrates and invertebrates,
and are well adapted to a hunters' way of life.
Their scaly skin is crusty, and is particularly
tough around the back and the neck. Generally, croc skin varies
in colour from a dark olive-green to a dull greyish-brown
-depending on species and age, while the underbelly is yellowish.
In most cases, juveniles are usually a darker version of adults,
with cross-bands over the body and tail. The skin is lined
with integumentary sense organs, which enables them to detect
and react to changes around them -especially in water.
Crocs are cold blooded and thus depend on
their surrounding to regulate body temperature. On a hot day,
they remain submerged in water to keep cool, and when they
are cold they emerge to bask in the sun. This is a very neat
survival trick, as they do not need to generate their own
body heat and can go for long periods of up to months, without
food.
Croc bodies are purposefully built to suit
their waterlogged lifestyle. Their nostrils, eyes and ears
are set atop their heads, which keeps these vital organs dry
and alert. The nostrils are at the upper tip of the snout,
and are designed to open when out of the water, and close
when diving. Crocodilian ears are unnoticeable organs, whose
shallow externals are covered with membranous flaps, which
also close, and open in and out of water. The ears play a
balancing function and they also serve the croc with impeccable
hearing.
The eyes are relatively camouflaged at the
top of the head, and are lined with a third eyelid. This is
a clear protective membrane that enables them to achieve the
miracle of keeping their eyes wide open even under water.
Crocs have a gland that produces tears that helps keep their
eyes clean. This action is the source of the myth that crocs
shed tears.
Bartholomaeus Anglicus was probably the inventor
of the myth, when he wrote in the thirteenth century: "If
the crocodile findeth a man by the brim of the water, or by
the cliff, he slayeth him there if he may, and then weepeth
upon him and swalloweth him at last". Since then, the
phrase "crocodile tears" commonly refers to insincere
remorse, and is a powerful image of the crocs heartlessness.
The crocodile's body is streamlined, to make
movement in water swift. While swimming, they tuck their short,
clawed legs to their sides to reduce water resistance, and
then steer themselves with their powerful tails. Their hind
legs have five webbed toes -not for effective swimming -but
for better splay when walking. In water, they move in a serpentine
manner and are quite agile swimmers.
Crocs usually stay under water for 10-15 minutes,
but if circumstances demand they can hold their breath for
as long as 2 hours. They have the most advanced cardiac system
in all living animals that enables them to oxygenate their
blood and regulate its distribution to the lungs. In a prolonged
dive, the heart can drop to 2-3 beats a minute to help reduce
oxygen uptake. They leverage this ability and their massive
weight to overcome prey, which they hold down and suffocate
underwater.
The larger species of crocs are most notorious
for this practice, making them successful and indomitable
hunters. They are quite weighty, and some good specimens tip
the scales at well over a metric ton. On land, they crawl
on their bellies or sometimes high-walk, like most animals
do. Smaller species are known to gallop at remarkable speeds
and the larger ones are equally fast on their legs.
Though they may pass themselves as slow and
lazy sunbathers, they can run for short distances at top speeds
of 12 to 14 km/h. Unless caught unawares, a fit human will
outrun a fast croc. Crocs live to about 60-70 years in the
wild, but a celebrated individual in a Russian zoo is estimated
to have lived to 115 years.
African crocodiles mainly occur in the fresh
waters of Afro-tropic habitats. They come in 3 species: Nile
crocodile, dwarf crocodile and slender-snouted crocodile.
The different species vary in size and other characteristics,
owing to adaptation and environmental conditions.
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest croc
species, and is second largest amongst the world's 23 species.
It is spread widely across the continent; from as far north
as Egypt's southern Nile banks, Gambia in the west, through
to East and Central African, and as far south as the Okavango
Delta in Botswana, and Kruger in South Africa. While good
numbers are found in western Madagascar, the species has done
best along the Nile River basin of East Africa.
Nile crocs reach average lengths of 16ft from
snout to tail tip, and reach 1,000 kg; though even larger
individuals have been recorded. The species is an opportunistic
hunter that can feed on virtually any animal, including other
crocodiles and even humans. However, its diet mainly comprises
of fish, and is only lightly supplemented.
They have been known to eat: insects, invertebrates,
reptiles, birds and mammals of all sizes- antelope, buffalo,
young hippos, hyenas, lions, leopards, giraffe, and zebra.
It is only elephants and fully-grown hippos -due to sheer
mass, that are out of its range.
The Nile croc is the meanest and the most
ferocious of all crocodiles. It has earned a reputation as
man-eater, and in its presence caution and respect is always
advised. A close encounter with a Nile croc is usually an
unhappy and hair-raising experience. On a lucky day, when
they are not hungry, you might escape with a few bruises and
scratches. But if they are hungry, only God's mercy can save
you.
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