Crocodile Threats
We often spend so much time thinking of the crocodile as a predator that we fail to see what may be eating it. The smaller a crocodile is the more likely it is to become a meal. In fact, only about 2% of the young that hatch end up making it to full maturity. Once a crocodile is big enough and strong enough though it is going to be at less of a risk of being hunted by animals. Ironically, this is when the risk of it being hunted by humans increase.
Birds often consume the very young crocodiles. They are also known to be consumed by predatory fish and by large lizards that share the same habitat as they do. At any size one of the biggest predators to worry about is actually other crocodiles. They will consume each other if their normal sources of food are scarce. Adults will consume whole liters of young offspring as they come to the water if the mother isn’t able to protect them.
For a crocodile that is about 10 feet long there are still some predators that it may have to face. This includes big sharks. While elephants won’t eat crocodiles they won’t think twice about killing them if they must in order to protect their own young offspring. The crocodile knows this and will often leave alone the young elephants that come for a drink at the watering hole.
The exact types of predators that a crocodile has to deal with varies. It depends on the region where they live. They do have to be on the alert though. Since a crocodile can’t move very fast on land it hard for them to get away from a hippo. In the water they are able to move very fast. They do have very thick skin which is one reason why very few meat eaters choose them. They aren’t bothered by lions or other big cats in the wild.
Of course humans are the number one predator when it comes to the crocodile. They are hunted for a variety of reasons. Many villagers consume them as a source of meat. They also use the body parts to make items they need for their survival. However, they only kill what they need. They want the crocodiles in the wild to get as large as they can.
The exception to this is when they host guided hunts. People from all over the world to go Africa for safari hunts. One of the animals that are killed is the crocodile. There are plenty of hunters out there looking for a challenge with a more exotic animal. They want the thrill of hunting something very few people ever will go after.
Crocodile hunting is common in many areas just to get rid of them. Humans feel threatened with animals like this living so close to them. Yet as humans continue to move closer and closer to those habitats it is creating issues. When a crocodile does attack someone the surge of hunting them in that area increases dramatically.
There are many types of products people buy made from alligator as well. This includes bags, boots, belts, and more. Hunting the crocodile can result in the sales of large numbers of hides. That is a very profitable business.
In some areas it is considered to be illegal to hunt for crocodile. Yet the efforts continue to go on behind the scenes. In most instances these laws really aren’t enforced. This is one animal many people turn the other way about. They aren’t interested in offering it much protection.