Born in the Wild: Crocodile Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Unlike most reptiles, where the young are left to fend for themselves after hatching, crocodiles care for their young. Most species (excluding freshwater crocodiles) will fiercely guard their nests until the eggs hatch. They will then dig the babies out and carefully carry them to the water.

In some species, the young will stay with their mother for up to eight months, and while the adults have no natural predators besides humans, hatchlings and juveniles are seen as food for fish, birds, larger crocodiles, lizards, tigers and leopards.

Answer: November

A few days before hatching, the babies start to squeak. This induces a synchronized hatching and also stimulates an adult to open the nest.

Answer: eleven inches

When they hatch, American crocodiles measure roughly eleven inches long and weigh sixty grams. Males will grow to around four metres and weigh 382kg while females reach a length of three metres and weigh 173kg.

Answer: mud and vegetation

Crocodiles usually build their nests on riverbanks, using mud and rotting vegetation.

Answer: small fish, crustaceans and insects

Hatchings eat mostly insects, small fish and crustaceans. As they grow, they move onto larger prey such as birds, other reptiles and small mammals.

Answer: True

Nile crocodiles are very sociable, sharing food and basking spots. Preferred nesting locations include riverbanks and dry creek beds, with small groups of females nesting close together.

Answer: False

Unlike mammals, where the gender of the young is determined by genetics, the gender of a crocodile is determined by the temperature inside the nest. For example, if the nest of a saltwater crocodile has a low temperature, most of the hatchlings will be female. If the temperature is high, most of the hatchlings will be male.

Nile crocodiles are slightly different. If the nest temperature is either below 31 degrees or above 34 degrees, most of the hatchlings will be female. However, to produce mostly males, the heat in the nest would have to be between these two temperatures.

Answer: between 30 and 70

When it comes time for them to breed, male American crocodiles attract females with low-frequency bellows. After mating, the female will dig a large hole in the riverbank, laying anywhere between thirty and seventy soft-shelled eggs. She will then viciously guard her nest until the eggs hatch.

Answer: three metres

Male Nile crocodiles don't reach sexual maturity until they've grown to a length of around three metres. Females reach sexual maturity at a length of between 2 and 2.5 metres.

Answer: body size

Male saltwater crocodiles can reach a length of around seven metres, although the average length is around five metres. Females reach a length of around three metres.