Crocodile is called the "overlord in the water". Many crocodiles are almost invincible in the water. For example, the largest existing crocodile Bay crocodile in , , has a bite force of up to 4,200 pounds (about 1,900 kg) and a bite force of . It can be as long as 6 meters long and weighs more than 1 ton. Such a huge body and bite force give them the ability to hunt wild boars, buffaloes, and even Asian elephants (small individuals).
and The second largest crocodile Nile crocodile bite force has also reached the terrifying 2500 pounds (about 1100 kg) . Their maximum length can reach 5.5 meters and weigh 1090 kg. In Africa, adult Nile crocodile even "king of the grassland" African lion is very afraid. Big cats such as leopards are even dragged into the water as prey. As for large herbivores, such as buffaloes, zebras, and wildebeests, it is no problem.
Of course, crocodiles are not all so brave. For example, in South America, there is a kind of crocodile that is often hunted by jaguar . It is jaguar . The average length of the crocodile glasses is less than 2 meters, and the largest individual is no more than 2.5 meters. Under the sneak attack of the jaguar, the crocodile glasses is often shot in the head without reacting (biting through the skull between the ears).
In addition to the Cayman glasses, the only wild crocodile in my country, Yangtze crocodile is also called "War Wushao". Some people say that they can't even beat a rural big goose . Of course, this statement is a bit exaggerated. They are just timid by nature and their body shape is similar to the Cayman glasses. The average length is 1.8 meters and the weight is about 40 kilograms. If you really compete, there is no problem for adults to suffer serious bites.
In addition to the Yangtze alligator, among the existing crocodiles, there is also a crocodile whose combat power is considered to be "fighting the Five Scratches". It is the long alligator. The long alligator has the longest kiss part among the existing crocodiles. It was a good thing to kiss the minister, but the long alligator's kiss part was a bit outrageous because it is very slender and looks like a pair of scissors, not as huge as other crocodiles. And the most important thing is that the main prey of the long alligator is fish.
So, many people say that the long alligator is a "crocodile world fisherman", and his combat effectiveness is so low that people can easily pinch their mouths and take them away. Is there any scientific basis for this statement? Let’s learn about it together.
long alligator
long alligator is also a type of ancient crocodiles. Their ancestors appeared on the earth about 55 million years ago. In the years that followed, long alligator formed an independent family, the long alligator family, the long alligator family, and had three subfamilies, 22 different genera, and more than dozens of different members.
However, in the long evolution, most of the long alligators have become extinct. Now there are only two animals left in one family and two genera (the long alligator family, the crocodile family and the Ganges) - the Ganges crocodile and the Malay long alligator . Therefore, when it comes to the long alligator, it is not a single animal, but a general term for these two types of crocodile.
(The picture above is the Ganges crocodile, and the picture below is the Malay crocodile)
From the appearance, the body color of the Ganges crocodile is pure olive green, and its body is slender. Judging from the body length data, it is already close to the Nile crocodile. The average body length can reach 4 meters, and the maximum body length can even reach 6 meters. However, in this body length, its slender snout accounts for a relatively large proportion, so in terms of weight, it is much lighter than the Nile crocodile, with an average weight of about 200 kilograms.
The Ganges crocodiles are widely distributed. They are widely distributed in the rivers, ponds and swamp environments of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan , Nepal , and Nepal . The main distribution areas are concentrated in the four rivers: Indus River , Ganges River, Mahanadi River and Brahmaputra River .
Ganges crocodiles are the longest-time underwater among all crocodiles. They hold their breath for up to 1 hour, and except for sunbathing, they are almost all underwater. From the perspective of diet, Ganges crocodiles do mainly feed on fish, which has a lot to do with their slender snout lacking biting force and unable to hunt large animals.
Although Ganges crocodiles are widely distributed, their huge size and relatively weak aggression under the same size are still targeted. After all, large size means large amounts of skin, and relatively weak aggression means low difficulty in hunting. Therefore, Ganges crocodiles have been hunted for a large number of skins, and now they have become extremely dangerous species.
Compared with Ganges crocodile, its close relative Malay crocodile has not that long and wider. However, in terms of body shape, the two are relatively close, with an average length of 4.5 meters and an average weight of about 180 kilograms. The body color of Malay crocodile is mainly black-brown, with obvious black stripes on its tail and body, and obvious black spots on its jaw.
Malay long alligator was once widely distributed. In addition to being distributed in Malaysia , Indonesia , Indonesia , and Brunei , it was also distributed in our country, but it became extinct later. And even in the previous few distributed countries, they disappeared in many places, becoming vulnerable species, and the reason is also directly related to artificial hunting.
From the perspective of feeding, the main prey of Malay alligators is also fish, but they will also hunt other animals. From the perspective of habit, Malay alligators have strong adaptability. Whether it is rivers, swamps, or flooded forests, they can survive well. However, the reproductive habits of Malay alligators are different from most crocodiles, because they will build a mound-shaped nest with leaves, branches and broken wood at the bottom of the tree on the shore to lay eggs.
Is the combat power of the long alligator really "weak"?
From the perspective of the food properties of the two long alligators, their main food is fish, so it is no problem to call them "crocodile world fisherman", but if you think they eat fish, we can fight them with bare hands, so we think too much. Let's first understand the strength of Ganges crocodile.
Ganges crocodiles do mainly eat fish, and once the fish in the area decrease, it will even affect their survival. Moreover, their slender sniffs have poor opening and closing power. An adult can lose its combat power by pinching their mouths. However, if we want to subdue it, we have to solve two problems: tail and mouth .
Ganges crocodile has a tail covered with muscles. It is not only flexible, but also has strong sweeping force. If you want to sneak attack it from behind, you must first be prepared to be swept down by it. Secondly, the mouth. The reason why the Ganges crocodile's mouth can be pinched by us is not because their bite force is small to a certain extent, but the bite force of the crocodile is mainly reflected in the small opening and closing angle of the mouth and closing quickly. This action is controlled by the two muscles in its jaw, but these two muscles cannot make it grow the mouth to how big or keep it open. By looking at the animation below, we can understand how crocodile bites, not how big it is to open its mouth:
In fact, an adult Ganges crocodile has a bite force of at least 200 kilograms. This bite force is combined with its small but dense and sharp teeth. It is not a big problem to bite one of our fingers in one bite. Moreover, although Ganges crocodile attacks less, it does not mean that they are very weak, just because they like to live in the turbulent and deep water, and have fewer chances of encountering people.
A few years ago, a Ganges crocodile attack occurred in the Indian Mhhande River . A 55-year-old man was bitten by an adult Ganges crocodile on his left arm and dragged it into the river. Although the man struggled desperately, it was still useless. Fortunately, the man was discovered by his son. His son rowed a boat to the water where the incident tried his best to pull his father up. The bitten man suffered serious lacerations and thighs.
As for the Malay alligator, let alone the Malay alligator. Ordinary people will undoubtedly die if they try to fight it. First of all, although the main prey of Malay alligator is fish, zoologists have found wild boars, dogs, cynomolgus monkeys, giant lizards, snakes and other animals from the stomach contents of Malay alligator. This means that Malay alligator is by no means a simple "fisherman".
Secondly, the snout of the Malay alligator is wider, which makes their bite force at least twice that of the Ganges crocodiles, and the teeth of the Malay alligator are thicker, which is also the reason why they can hunt large mammals. Not only that, there have been many reports of cannibalism in Malay alligators.
Summary
From the perspective of food, the long-range alligator is indeed a "fisherman", but don't think that the crocodile that eats fish is easy to bully. Even the relatively weak Ganges crocodile has the ability to hurt or even kill people. Not to mention the long-range alligator, this guy is big and has strong biting power, which is not something that ordinary people dare to provoke, so the strength of the long-range alligator is obviously underestimated.
