Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 16, 2021

Human remains found inside 500-pound alligator. How common are alligator attacks?

An enormous alligator is suspected of killing a man in Louisiana, according to news reports. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently captured the alligator around the neighborhood of Avery Estates, not far from where 71-year-old Timothy Satterlee Sr. went...

Oct 22, 2021

How are alligators and crocodiles different?

All alligators and crocodiles belong to a taxonomic order called Crocodylia. Crocodylia is then split up into three major families; Alligatoridae (alligators), Crocodylidea (crocodile) and Gavialidae (gharial), according to the journal Pathology of Wildlife and Zoo Animals. These Crocodylia share a common evolutionary ancestor; however, around 80 million years ago...

Dec 8, 2021

Jurassic crocodile relative could breathe easily while drowning its prey

Around 155 million years ago in what is now Wyoming, a crocodile relative clamped its jaws around a thrashing animal and dragged it below the water's surface, and the ancient reptile could still breathe comfortably as its prey slowly drowned. That's because the croc had specialized structures that prevented water...

Feb 9, 2022

Indonesian crocodile finally freed from motorbike tire stuck around its neck for 6 years

A 13-foot-long (4 meters) crocodile on an Indonesian island has been freed from an unflattering and potentially harmful motorbike tire that had been stuck around its neck for at least six years. A local man who captured the behemoth in a handmade trap managed to remove the rubbery necklace. The...

May 13, 2022

Colossal 300-pound alligator gar caught (and released) in Texas bayou

Most people think of fishing as a relaxing way to pass an afternoon. But for YouTuber and conservationist Payton Moore, a recent fishing excursion was instead an intrepid monster hunt. Last week, the Texan set sail down a Houston bayou in search of a truly gargantuan alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)...

Aug 14, 2023

Cassius, the world's largest captive crocodile, could be even bigger than we thought

Cassius, the largest living crocodile in captivity, could be even bigger than previously thought. The saltwater crocodile — who is thought to be 120 years old — entered the record books in 2011, when he measured nearly 18 feet (5.48 meters) long. But his keepers haven't measured him since, meaning...

Aug 31, 2023

800-pound alligator is the longest ever caught in Mississippi

Hunters have killed the longest alligator ever captured in Mississippi in the state's Yazoo River. The record-breaking animal measured 14 feet and 3 inches (4.34 meters) long and weighed in at 802.5 pounds (364 kilograms), according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP). The previous record for...

Sep 11, 2023

Florida alligator weighing over 900 pounds could have been 90 years old when caught

A huge alligator weighing almost 1,000 pounds (455 kilograms) has been caught in Florida — the second heaviest in state history. The supersized reptile, which was likely between 60 and 90 years old, measured over 13 feet long (4 meters) when hunters hauled it in on Aug. 26. U.S. Coast...

Sep 20, 2023

Indian crocodiles seen saving dog from feral pack attack, but scientists divided over what it means

Scientists in India have observed mugger crocodiles engaging in some strange behaviors, including hunting in packs, using sticks as bait to lure herons and egrets within striking range, showing interest in flower garlands floating in the river and even saving a feral dog that had been chased by other dogs....

Oct 10, 2023

'They mated like mad': Low-flying helicopter sparks massive crocodile orgy in Australia

A large-scale saltwater crocodile mating frenzy was recently triggered by an unlikely suspect in Australia — a low-flying Chinook helicopter. Ranchers from the Koorana Crocodile Farm in Queensland, which is home to over 3,000 crocodiles, said their scaly residents became aroused after the flyby and mated like mad. John Lever,...

Oct 17, 2023

Watch rare footage of huge crocodile eating baby hippo with umbilical cord still attached

Rare footage has captured the moment before a huge crocodile began feasting on a newborn hippo in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The hippo appeared to still have its umbilical cord attached as the crocodile held its body in its jaws and thrashed the carcass around. Frankie Adamson, a wildlife photographer who...

Oct 18, 2023

Last-known crocodile in Europe lived in Spain 4.5 million years ago, researchers say

Paleontologists in Spain have unearthed a 4.5 million-year-old tooth that likely belonged to one of the last crocodiles in Europe. The tooth is the only crocodilian fossil excavated from a site called Baza-1 in the southern province of Granada and indicates the predator looked similar to Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)...

Dec 12, 2023

Pinky-white leucistic alligator with blue eyes born in Florida is 1 of only 8 in the world

An exceptionally rare light-pink alligator has been born at Gatorland, a wildlife park in Orlando, Florida. The female American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has a genetic condition known as leucism, which results from a mutation in the genes that leads to reduced pigment in feathers, hair or skin. Unlike albinism, which...

Jan 2, 2024

'Eyes coming straight for me': Huge crocodile launches itself into boat with jaws wide open in strange attack

A fisher experienced the shock of a lifetime when a large crocodile launched itself onto his boat with its jaws wide open in Australia. The incident occurred at Jane Creek — a stream northeast of Mackay in Queensland — on the morning of Dec. 31, 2023. The man was identified...

Jan 23, 2024

Alligators survive cold snap by becoming 'frozen solid' in North Carolina and Texas ponds

Alligators in North Carolina and Texas are surviving a cold snap by suspending their bodies in pond water and letting it freeze solid around them, videos show. Only their snouts and front teeth poke through the ice, allowing the alligators to breathe while they wait for the water to thaw....