Is crocodile a protected animal? Why do they cry?

Crocodile is a kind of reptile that many people are familiar with, and there are many species, which are distributed all over the world. Crocodiles can not only lurk in the water, but also walk and breathe freely on land. With the hunting and killing of human beings, the number of wild crocodiles is also decreasing. Is the crocodile a protected animal? Why do they cry?

Is crocodile a protected animal?

There are mainly 25 species of crocodiles known to people, most of which are endangered species of wild animals and plants, such as Chinese alligator, South American alligator, Central American alligator, alligator, narrow alligator, intermediary crocodile, Peton alligator, Nile crocodile, Philippine crocodile, Ganges crocodile, diamond spot crocodile, bay crocodile, Siamese crocodile, Malay crocodile, alligator, fish-eating crocodile and so on. Because their numbers are decreasing, they are now internationally important protected species, have been listed in Appendix I by the CITES of the Washington Convention, and cannot be traded internationally. In addition, all species of reptilian crocodiles except those listed in Appendix I are listed in Appendix II of CITES to regulate international trade.

If you find someone selling wild crocodiles or wild animals, you can report to the local forestry authorities. No matter what it is, it is our duty to protect wild animals.

Why do crocodiles cry?

Many people will hear the story "crocodile tears", which implies the hypocrisy of human nature. In fact, crocodiles do shed tears, but it is not their repentance for eating food, nor is it because they are really sad. According to related speculation, crocodiles shed tears to excrete excess salt from the body, because the kidney function of the crocodile is not perfect, so it needs to be excreted by glands around the eyes.

With the continuous research of scientists, it is found that this argument is actually incorrect. Crocodiles do not rely on the glands around their eyes to excrete salt, but on their huge tongues. The researchers dissected the crocodile's tongue and found salt glands above the mucous membrane of the tongue, similar to the salt glands of other reptiles, especially sea snakes.

To sum up, crocodiles shed tears not to excrete salt, but because their eyes began to interfere and secrete tears to protect and moisturize their eyes after staying on land for a long time.

What are the natural enemies of crocodiles?

Since the crocodile is so strong, does it have natural enemies? The natural enemies of crocodiles are birds called whale storks, which also have big mouths and hard, sharp mouths that can be pecked through even the hard skin of a crocodile. In particular, some smaller crocodiles are no match for this kind of birds. Whale storks eat in a way similar to that of pythons, basically swallowing them raw.