They sometime splash water on the nest to
control the temperature. In mugger crocs, females are exclusively
produced at constant temperature of 28?C through 31?C. At 32.5?C only
males are produced. Both sexes in varying proportion are produced at
31.5 to 33?C.
The female guards the nest. At the time of hatching the young start
croaking so the mother (sometimes even the father) digs open the nest.
Then she cracks some of the eggs with her teeth to set free the young
and carries them to the water in her mouth. The adult crocodiles
continue to guard the young until they are about 5-7 months old.
Crocodiles have many uses in nature's ecosystem. They help keep the
environment clean by eating the carcasses that would otherwise rot.
They capture the diseased, wounded and weaker prey thus letting only
the strongest survive and thus maintaining a healthy population and
keeping up the genetic quality of their prey species.
In the dry season, wallows and tunnels dug by crocs provide essential
water for other animals, turtles and fish. Many animals depend upon
crocs for food for e.g. the sacred Ibis and monitor lizard will eat the
eggs of the Nile crocodile. Crocs are also exceptionally resistant to
disease and thus may be of great use in medical research.
Chapter 11: Learning to Teach
January brought fresh experience for me and it happened entirely
because of Hartman de Souza.
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