International holidays - World Crocodile Day

Alligators play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance in nature Like crocodiles, they eat sick fish, being a kind of orderlies of reservoirs Reptiles clear them of silt before creating nests to lay eggs In addition, some species of crocodiles, such as the giant Crocodylus porosus, travel hundreds of clinometers of rivers and seas, carrying nutrients necessary for the development of plants and other organisms Representatives of this reptile species have been preserving the ecosystem of water bodies located in tropical and subtropical latitudes on Earth for more than 83 million years Alligators appeared on the planet during the Mesozoic era Several thousand years ago, these strong, dexterous and cunning predators were the object of veneration by people The amphibious reptile is present in the myths of different peoples of the world Thus, the ancient Egyptians believed that the crocodile was the incarnation of the god of the Nile - Sebek The cult of veneration of the predator still exists today in many regions of Africa A holiday was established in honor of the reptiles of this group of reptiles June 17 is World Crocodile Day World Crocodile Day has been celebrated since 2017 It was initiated by the non-profit Coalition for Crocodile and Zoo Research in Belize, which is fighting to preserve the alligator population in Central America and the Caribbean World Crocodile Day is intended to inform society about the threat of their extinction due to the extermination of predatory reptiles by humans and natural enemies According to statistics, reptiles of the order Crocodilia have a very high mortality rate in the first year of life 99% of crocodiles in infancy are eaten by lizards, hyenas and other predators Another enemy of alligators is humans People hunt crocodiles for trophies - valuable skin, meat and eggs If urgent measures are not taken to protect alligators, 23 species of which are listed in the Red Book, these ancient animals will disappear from the face of the earth • Alligators are found only in the USA and China Their main difference from other crocodilian reptiles is their blunt and wider U-shaped snout, dorsal location of the eyes and light weight These distant relatives also have different numbers of teeth There are from 64 to 68 of them in the crocodile's mouth They are visible even with the mouth closed The number of sharp teeth in an alligator varies between 74-80 pieces • Crocodiles are the largest reptiles in the world The weight of reptiles living in salt water can reach up to 1200 kg, height - up to 7 m Crocodiles feed on fish and caviar, rats, frogs, birds and crustaceans But these predators also swallow stones They stay in the reptile's stomach for years, helping it grind food • The crocodile has no equal in bite force among other animals Its jaw exerts a pressure of 260 kg per cm2 This is 10 times more than the great white shark, 6 times more than the African lion and brown bear At the same time, the muscles of the crocodile's oral cavity are very weak A person can close its mouth with their hands without much effort • People owe the expression “crocodile tears” to the peculiarities of eating food by amphibian reptiles When alligators chew their prey, air is forced through their sinuses into the tear ducts The salty liquid oozing from the eyes gives the impression that the predator is mourning its prey Scientists say that if all alligators on the planet become extinct, an environmental catastrophe will occur on Earth Reptiles dig burrows along river banks, which become shelters for other animals, and control fish populations in water bodies and agricultural pests World Crocodile Day encourages people to pay attention to the threat of extinction of these unique amphibians of the order Crocodilia