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OneWorld Magazine presents
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Dino Days-Crocs Rule | Crocodile Smiles | Smart Reptiles | The Gharial and the Monkey | A Crocodile Hunter | Cinderella Crocodile | Croc Speak |
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Dino Days: Crocs Rule
Crocodilians (alligators, crocodiles and gharials) are the direct descendants of the archosaurs, which up until 65 million years ago ruled the reptile kingdom with their superior intelligence. Crocodilians are the most intelligent reptiles today. We often say that dinosaurs are extinct, but what they really are is prehistoric. They were long gone before man ever appeared. "Extinct" refers to animals which have lived in human times, but who no longer exist, often because they were killed off for their fur, skin, or some other valuable part. Their habitats are invaded by people who clear land for their farms and homes or disrupted by commercial activities, like fishing, drilling for oil or by factories which pollute. Extinct animals include the dodo, the Tasmanian wolf, the great auk and the passenger pigeon. They are gone forever because they were hunted or robbed of the only habitat in which they were able to survive. Watch for other rare and endangered animals in The Crocodile Files.
"Why are Crocodilians an endangered species? Over 20 million crocodiles have been killed in the last fifty years for their skin. People are encroaching in crocodile populated areas all over the world. What can people do to protect the world's crocodile population? Alligator farms are popular tourist attractions in the Southeastern United States. In some countries, like in Columbia and Australia (where the "domestic" herd of saltwater crocs pictured here is located), crocodilians are "farmed" or raised to become boots, shoes, belts, and wallets. Farming protects crocodile cousins in the wild. The Centre for Herpetology, "Croc Bank," near Madras, India has conducted a sucessful breeding program which has ensured the survival of the mugger, gharial and saltwater crocodiles into the next century. They are planning a visitor center with a large underwater viewing area for the adult gharial and enclosures for other exotic reptiles.
Australian Crocodile expert Steve Irwin gently removes crocodiles from people-infested areas and relocates them to new habitats. Known as the "Crocodile Hunter," his important work has contributed greatly to our knowledge of crocodile habitats. Steve and his wife Terri are the owners of the Glasshouse Mountain park near Beerwah in Queensland, Australia where many varieties of crocodiles and other reptiles can be seen. Dino Days-Crocs Rule | Crocodile Smiles | Smart Reptiles | The Gharial and the Monkey | A Crocodile Hunter | Cinderella Crocodile | Croc Speak |
Pacific Mythology Excerpts © 1992 Jan Knappert - All Rights Reserved
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