The crocodile is the largest of all reptiles, including the huge snakes of South America. There are twenty-five crocodile species throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and some Pacific islands, as well as in South and Central America and the Everglades of Florida.
Crocodiles are related to alligators but grow larger, have longer and more slender heads, and when their jaws are closed, large teeth show on each side, making an ugly grin. The alligator’s mouth doesn’t show these teeth unless it is open. Crocodiles can live in saltwater as well as freshwater, and they are very sensitive to cold.
Perhaps you have seen crocodiles in a zoo and thought they were rather clumsy, but in the wild they are surprisingly fast on land, and in water their big tails and webbed hind feet move them along even more swiftly. They are expert at swimming silently below the surface, snatching unsuspecting birds and small animals that are on the surface. They are more aggressive than alligators. The Creator has adapted crocodiles to a watery life, providing a feature that closes nostrils, ears and throats when submerged, as well as keen eyesight—even after dark—with big bulging eyes. Their bodies are covered with tough, leather-like armor. Their jaws have sharp, vicious teeth, and their long tails serve as a fearful weapon. When their loud roars bellow out and these weapons are in action, it is no wonder that they are one of the most feared of all reptiles!
A female crocodile lays about three dozen eggs in a sun-warmed trench that she has dug out with her tail. She covers the eggs with sand or dirt and guards them, with time out only to search for food. Disaster awaits any intruder that threatens to dig them up! At the end of a month-long incubation, as the little ones begin to hatch, her keen ears hear their sounds through the soil. Uncovering them with her sharp claws, she picks up a dozen or more at a time in her mouth, without harming them, and carries them to water where she leaves them on their own. The six-inch youngsters are quite capable of finding their own food, but most become victims of raccoons, storks, cranes and even adult crocodiles, until they increase in size. Out of three dozen, possibly only six or so may survive.
The crocodile has its place in God’s creation and is included—just as every person is—in the Bible verse: “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:1818Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. (Acts 15:18)). However, the crocodile’s life is just for this world, whereas you and I have souls that live for eternity. Can you say that “your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:33For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)) through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
ML-03/09/2014