World Croc Day

Every June 17th is World Croc Day.

World Croc Day was founded in 2017 by the Crocodile Research Coalition and Belize Zoo in order to raise awareness of the world's endangered and threatened crocodiles (and alligators!)

(If you ever have trouble telling crocs from alligators, check the shape of their snouts. Crocodiles have a longer, v shaped nose while alligators snouts are more rounded.)

Crocs are present in every continent except for Antarctica (although the mental image of a croc in a scarf and beanie is entertaining) and have been present in some form for some 95 million years, modern crocodiles are remarkably similar to those first crocodiles. There are even fossils of crocodilian-esque animals dating back to around 200 million years ago, talk about old! Currently, there are 23 species of crocodilia, 7 of these are classed as critically endangered and a further 4 are vulnerable.

While hunting crocodiles for their hide is illegal in many countries, including Australia, many species are still under threat from illegal poachers. They're also often affected by habitat clearing, which brings them into contact with humans with increasing regularity, which usually results in culls, crocodiles getting entangled in fishing nets, poisoning, and invasive species, such as pythons in Southern Florida. Many species were already on the decline from the regular hunting in the 1900's, which makes bringing them back from the brink a lot harder. Another factor that affects the Cuban crocodile in particular is Hybridization. Hybridization occurs when external circumstances (such as land clearing) force one species into the habitat ranges of another, if these species can successfully breed it will cause one of the species to deteriorate genetically.

It's not all bad news though, crocodile conservation groups such as the Crocodile Research Coalition and Crocodiles of the World are fighting back against the extinction of these animals with breeding and awareness programs and many zoos worldwide also have their own crocodiles, so if you want to learn more about these amazing animals, your local zoo is a good place to start!

And please don't go swimming or too close to any waterways crocodiles are known to inhabit

Here are some other fun facts about crocodiles:

• They can live in both salt water and fresh water
• They're mostly nocturnal
• They have about 80 teeth, which be replaced by new ones roughly 50 times in their lifetime

Further Reading:

https://www.mwfc.gov.lk/events/world-croc-day-17th-june/

https://www.crocodilesoftheworld.co.uk/conservation/

https://crocodileresearchcoalition.org/

https://www.wildlifesydney.com.au/information/news/world-crocodile-day/

https://www.edo.org.au/2023/06/17/crocodile-law-reform-update-on-world-croc-day/

Image by Shelly Collins on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/crocodile-in-body-of-water-YppMBEPyfFQ