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If you haven't seen Crocodile Dundee, may be you don't
know what it is. It's mentioned
even in the Bible, where it is called Leviathan, and that word indicates
something that
is wreathed, or gathered into folds.
Crocodiles are found in tropical Africa, Australia,
and Asia, in the islands of the western
Pacific Ocean, and in the tropical parts of North and South America.
Adult crocodiles may
differ in size from one species to another.The Nile crocodiles are
known to have reached
lengths of up to 6 m and to weigh a ton or more.
Crocodiles swim or float on the surface of the water,
exposing only their eyes, nostrils, flat tail,
and webbed toes. A fleshy valve in the throat allows them to open
their mouths in the water without choking. The nostrils can also be
tightly closed, and their ears have flaps that can be closed to keep
out water. Besides the normal upper and lower eyelids, crocodiles
have a transparent third eyelid, the nictitating membrane, which allows
the crocodile to see underwater. Crocodiles swim by moving their tails
while holding their legs close to their bodies.

Most crocodiles hunt at night and bask (often with
the mouth open) during the day; hungry crocodiles, however, hunt during
the day as well. Generally, they feed on other vertebrate
animals. The Nile crocodile often catch large animals--for example,
antelope, deer, hogs and some times attack humans.. Both species are
also known to attack humans.
The female crocodile lays her eggs in nests made of vegetation or
in sand banks and remains
with them until the heat of the Sun causes them to hatch about 3 months
later. It is believed
that she digs up the young when they begin to call and either carries
them in her mouth
or leads them to the water. This is a bit uncertain, and scientists
are looking for volunteers
that can stay overnight beside their nests.....
Now, nearly forgot to tell you about the King himself....

Lions, species Panthera leo, are among the
great or roaring cats of the family Felidae.
Though the male lion is called the king of beasts, it is the less
heavy and majestic female
lion that does most of the stalking and killing of prey and is the
center of the lion pride (family).
A male lion may be 1.8-2.4 m long, with the addition of a tufted tail
of 58-89 cm , stand
about 90 cm tall at the shoulder, and weigh 175-225 kg

Within historic times the lion was common in many parts of Europe,
Africa, and Asia.
Today it is found only in protected areas south of the Sahara in Africa
and in the Gir forest, a wildlife sanctuary in India. Lions favor
open, grassy plains and thornbush country where water
is available. They avoid dense forests. The prides are strongly territorial,
defending against intrusion by other prides. Lions hunt at night and
are a major factor in controlling the
populations of grazing animals on the African savanna
.
No more pictures of african
animals : so, don't
click here!
But you can check our list of more than 200
animals here
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The lion-pictures has been
taken from the Cambrix CD:
Explore The Untamed World
© 1996 Alpenglow, Ind.
Photographers: Jonathan and Angela Scott
whom we haven't found
yet, to get their permission.......
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