Where do Crocodiles Live

One of the most amazing facts about crocodiles is that these reptiles are as old as the dinosaurs. While the dinosaurs failed to survive the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction - the last of the mass extinctions, which occurred 65 million years ago, the crocodiles managed to achieve the seemingly impossible task. Though these reptiles have been existing on the planet for quite sometime now, several attributes of their life still continue to be a mystery for many people. One such attribute is crocodiles habitat. Before we get into the details of where do crocodiles live, let's have a brief look at some true crocodile facts.

What are True Crocodiles?

Even though the term 'crocodiles' is colloquially used to refer to all the species belonging to the order Crocodilia, technically it refers to only those species belonging to the family Crocodylidae. The species belonging to this family are also known as 'true crocodiles'. Other species which are colloquially referred to as crocodiles include alligators, caimans, gharials, etc. In fact, most of the people tend to get confused between crocodiles and alligators. The most prominent difference between alligator and crocodile is that the former has a U-shaped jaw while the later has a V-shaped jaw. Similarly, one can also notice a significant difference in their habitat. While alligators are restricted to the freshwater sources, crocodiles can survive in freshwater as well as saltwater.

Where do Crocodiles Live?

Crocodiles are found on all the continents of the world, except for Europe and Antarctica. The geographical range of this reptile species spans across North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Their natural habitat includes freshwater sources such as rivers, lakes, etc., as well as brackish water sources (near the mouth of the river). The Crocodylidae family is categorized into two genus - genus Crocodylus and genus Osteolaemus. Given below is the list of all the crocodile species and where they are found.

• The American crocodile is found in Central America.
• The Slender-snouted crocodile is found in the central and western Africa.
• The Orinoco crocodile is found in the Orinoco river and surrounding areas in the northern South America.
• The Australian freshwater crocodile is endemic to Australia.
• The Philippine crocodile is found on the islands of the Philippines.
• The Morelet's crocodile is found in Latin American Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
• The Nile crocodile is native to the African nations.
• The New Guinea crocodile is found on the island of New Guinea.
• The Mugger crocodile is found all over the Indian subcontinent.
• The Saltwater Crocodile is found in the northern Australia as well as some parts of the Southeast Asia.
• The Cuban Crocodile is endemic to Cuba's Zapata Swamp and the Isle of Youth.
• The Siamese crocodile is found in the Southeast Asia, predominantly in Indonesia.
• The Dwarf crocodile is native to the sub-Saharan West Africa and West Central Africa.

Even though crocodiles can stay on land, they always prefer staying around some source of water. In fact, their diet predominantly consists of the large animal species which come to drink water. They lie in the water body, with only their eyes and nose above the surface, and wait for the prey to come closer. As the prey closes in, they swoop out of water, catch it with their strong teeth, drag it into the water and feed on it. The immense size these crocodiles can grow up to make it relatively easy for them to grab their prey. With the biggest crocodile in the world growing up to almost 20 ft, even larger prey find it difficult to escape from this wild beast.

That was all the information you needed to know about where do crocodiles live. Over the last few decades a considerable fall has been seen in the crocodile population the world over. A large number of subspecies have been either declared vulnerable or endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In fact, species like the Orinoco crocodile, Philippine crocodile, Cuban crocodile and the Siamese crocodile have been declared 'critically endangered'. This drastic fall in crocodile population can be attributed to the large-scale killing of this species for its skin and as a food source. Crocodile skin is used for making various products for human use including purses, wallets, briefcases etc., and hence has a huge demand in the international market.