There are three families of crocodiles, which comprise a total of approximately 23 species, but in any case, we are talking about a reptile, that is, a cold-blooded animal that has hard scales and horny plates in their skin.
The crocodile has structural and physiological adaptations that allow it to stay underwater for up to an hour, since it has a large lung capacity and its oxygen consumption is really low, in any case we are dealing with a fascinating animal since it is believed that it has inhabited our planet for approximately 200 million years.
For you to learn more about this reptile, in this article on our site we talk about the crocodile feeding.
The digestive system of the crocodile
To speak properly about the crocodile's diet, it is important to briefly mention what its digestive system is like. In the digestive system of the crocodile we can clearly differentiate the following parts: oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, intestines and cloaca.
If there is something surprising and that catches our attention in crocodiles, it is their powerful and dangerous jaw, despite this, the teeth of crocodiles do not have a chewing function, since this function corresponds to molar teeth and crocodiles only have incisor teeth.
The crocodile dentition is of thecodont origin, this means that the teeth are inserted deeply into the mandibular cavities, another peculiarity is that crocodiles have replacement teeth.
What do crocodiles eat?
The crocodile's diet contemplates great variability and is truly Very adaptable to the environment, this is so because the crocodile is considered an opportunistic animal.
The term opportunistic means that the crocodile will consume everything it can find, in the case of small crocodiles, they feed on insects and other small invertebrates, in the case of adult crocodiles the food is much more diverse.
The adult crocodile can hunt from small prey that it will not chew, such as molluscs, crustaceans and fish, to prey that exceeds its size, they can hunt buffalo, zebra or even birds.
Sometimes they also consume carrion and can plunder the nests of other crocodiles and even eat their young, an animal cannibalistic behavior that it is not exclusive to the crocodile but can be seen in other types of animals.
How does the crocodile hunt?
It is true that the crocodile moves at a very slow pace, but this characteristic is precisely an advantage that this animal uses against its prey, since it waits for the right moment to attack quickly and accurately.
When it comes to hunting large mammals, the crocodile waits completely submerged around the shore, waiting for its prey to approach to drink, then, the crocodile hunts only by sticking its snout and eyes out of the water.
How often does a crocodile eat?
One of the most characteristic aspects of the crocodile's diet is that it has an extraordinarily slow digestion, making it an animal that does not need to be fed very often.
A newborn crocodile, once it has fed, can be deprived of food for approximately 4 months, on the other hand, in the case of an old crocodile it could remain up to 2 years without eating.
