Posts tagged Nile crocodile

Could we see some skeletal and muscular illustrations of the nile crocodile? — Asked by brainstormthepaleoform

….aaaand clearly I need to start copying my replies before submitting them, because presumably tumblr is waging war against missing e. :|

ANYWAY - wish I had some or could find some, but there aren’t many out there. You can find the jaws and skulls at Scientific Illustration. An interesting point about the 3-chambered/4-chambered heart of the crocodile can be found here, if you didn’t already know that fact.

Most of the crocodilian is bone and cartilage. The only part that has major muscle development is the tail, but boy does it ever. Still, I can’t find any illustrations of the tail muscles, so if anyone out there has some, feel free to point me  in their direction.

The Crocodiles of Upper Nile River and Central Africa The Nile crocodile competes with the smaller slender-snouted crocodile (upper left skull) in part of its environment, and with the dwarf crocodile (not pictured) in other parts. It’s one of only two crocodilians (the other being the saltwater croc) that can legitimately be called “man-eating” - they live in close proximity to people and end up killing several hundred a year, many for the express purpose of consumption (not in defense or over territorial protection, like most species). In ancient Egypt, the demoness of the judgement hall, Ammut, had the head of a crocodile. She was the “devourer of the dead”, and ate the hearts of evildoers deemed unworthy. The crocodile was also considered sacred to the god Sobek, and the temples to Sobek typically had sacred lakes, where crocodiles were fed and cared for. **Don’t forget that the Upper Nile is actually the Southern part - it flows into the Mediterranean, northwards.

The Crocodiles of Upper Nile River and Central Africa

The Nile crocodile competes with the smaller slender-snouted crocodile (upper left skull) in part of its environment, and with the dwarf crocodile (not pictured) in other parts. It’s one of only two crocodilians (the other being the saltwater croc) that can legitimately be called “man-eating” - they live in close proximity to people and end up killing several hundred a year, many for the express purpose of consumption (not in defense or over territorial protection, like most species).

In ancient Egypt, the demoness of the judgement hall, Ammut, had the head of a crocodile. She was the “devourer of the dead”, and ate the hearts of evildoers deemed unworthy. The crocodile was also considered sacred to the god Sobek, and the temples to Sobek typically had sacred lakes, where crocodiles were fed and cared for.

**Don’t forget that the Upper Nile is actually the Southern part - it flows into the Mediterranean, northwards.