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ericwelch's review
4.0
I love this kind of book. Shades of John McPhee. Lots of fascinating detail about crocodilians. There are several remarkable things about the Crocodylidae family. (Crocodiles are distinguished from alligators by a large fourth tooth in the lower jaw that becomes prominently displayed when the jaw is closed.) If you need to tell, just sneak up on one while he/she is asleep and then run like hell when they wake up. They can run at speeds up to 18 km per hour in the case of one species, but tire quickly, so if you can do a really good 100 yard dash, you'll probably be OK. Don't zigzag and don't look back.
They have an astonishing ability to repair themselves, having a terrific immune system, one that includes a special kind of antibiotic that appears to be efficacious in humans against a variety of viruses and bacterial infections. Research is continuing. Their circulatory systems permits them to lie under the water for extended periods of time, the muscles in the heart closing off the lungs and bypassing blood to only the important organs, small amounts of oxygen being removed as needed. The heart rate slows to one or two beats per minute, but the instant they surface and take in air everything reverts to full speed ahead on all functions.
Being poikilothermic they require temperate climates except for the American and Chinese alligators which hibernate during the winter. They use energy stored in fat very efficiently -- much more efficiently than I for sure since my fat seems never to be burned off -- and don't need to expend much energy to stay warm. If food is plentiful they can grow very quickly.
One interesting side note. The traditional definition of species differentiation has been the ability to interbreed and have fruitful offspring, yet some breeders have begin crossbreeding what had thought to be different species of crocodiles and alligators so the definition of species may be changing. Great stuff.
They have an astonishing ability to repair themselves, having a terrific immune system, one that includes a special kind of antibiotic that appears to be efficacious in humans against a variety of viruses and bacterial infections. Research is continuing. Their circulatory systems permits them to lie under the water for extended periods of time, the muscles in the heart closing off the lungs and bypassing blood to only the important organs, small amounts of oxygen being removed as needed. The heart rate slows to one or two beats per minute, but the instant they surface and take in air everything reverts to full speed ahead on all functions.
Being poikilothermic they require temperate climates except for the American and Chinese alligators which hibernate during the winter. They use energy stored in fat very efficiently -- much more efficiently than I for sure since my fat seems never to be burned off -- and don't need to expend much energy to stay warm. If food is plentiful they can grow very quickly.
One interesting side note. The traditional definition of species differentiation has been the ability to interbreed and have fruitful offspring, yet some breeders have begin crossbreeding what had thought to be different species of crocodiles and alligators so the definition of species may be changing. Great stuff.
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