Inside Nature's Giants - Crocodiles

Crocodiles have been around virtually unchanged (externally at least) for a very long time, at least since the time of the dinosaurs. We mammals may think of ourselves as the present culmination of the evolutionary process, but crocodiles achieved the equivalent of anatomical perfection millions of years ago, and their incredible resilience seems unaffected even by the worst of environmental catastrophes.

Sporting underwater stealth technology, massive teeth and the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom, these reptiles are ferociously successful predators: once they grab a hold of you, there's no escaping, and death is inflicted either by drowning or by shredding you to pieces... and then swallowing your whole body. Thanks to one of the most intriguing and sophisticated heart systems found in nature, they also have the ability to digest flesh, bones and hooves as if they were cake. What does the heart have to do with digestion? You're about to find out; it's really quite remarkable.

Plenty of predators have gone the way of the dodo, however, so there's gotta be more to crocodiles than just their superior hunting skills. As you may already imagine, their tough armor-plated exterior provides them with protection from external injuries, and their advanced immune system protects them from diseases that could easily kill other species.

Check out the carnage that a group of gazelles are subjected to by a pack of hungry crocs :(

And if you want to learn more about nature's giants, check out the elephant and the giraffe.
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