Crocodile Rescue!
Page 10
“Those teeth can cut through muscle and bone very easily! When they grow up, they can take on some pretty big animals. They are famous for their ‘death roll,’ where they get a chunk of meat in their jaws and spin around,” I said, pointing to the screens around the enclosure, which now showed Luz performing the famous death roll.
Some people let out a loud gasp. I pointed to my leg, where you could see yellow bruising, bright purple scars, and some Band-Aids. “I know more than anyone how scared someone can be of crocodiles. A month ago, I was bitten and dragged by a large crocodile while filming for our show. I don’t blame the crocodile at all. I was a visitor in its home, and it just took a nibble to figure out what I was. This is called an exploratory bite, and other animals, like sharks, do it, too!” I had told this story so many times that to me it felt just like that—a story. I hadn’t had any nightmares of that night, but I was still uneasy about swimming at night or being in murky water. Sometimes I forgot the bite had happened at all until I looked down at my leg or something brushed up against it and it hurt.
“A lot of people say I should be afraid of crocodiles after this happened, but honestly? I’m not. We should be afraid for the crocodiles, not of them. People hunt them for their skin and their eggs, and we are also ruining their homes. They are an important part of the environment, and I hope that by showing you that I, a person who got bit by one, am not afraid of them … then maybe you won’t be either.” I saw many people nodding, and a thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
A scratch on my leg made me look down to see Isabella trying to get my attention. When she saw she had it, her mouth opened wide. Ha! She wanted more food. I laughed, bowed my head down, and waved with both of my hands to say goodbye to the crowd but also to show the baby crocs I had no more food. “That’s all from me today, everyone! Thank you so much for coming to Sacred Sanctuary and Zoological Park!” Isabella was still waiting, mouth open, not getting the hint that the show was over.
I picked her up with one hand and cradled her in my arms for a few seconds, running my hand down her back as my own way to say goodbye. She got wriggly once more, so I put her down and waved to the crowd for another minute before heading back through the door I’d come through. Feye gave me a big high five and Dad and Mom hugged me. I looked back at the door, now shut, and smiled. I love this job—and I couldn’t wait to get back out there to rescue some more animals!
Did you know that the author (that’s me!) was actually bitten and dragged by a crocodile, just like Adrianna? I was diving underwater while filming for a TV show about hammerhead sharks in Cuba.
At the end of one of my dives, my dive mask started acting up, just like Adrianna’s. The microphone cut off, meaning I couldn’t hear the crew, and they couldn’t hear me. So when my dive buddy gave me the hand signal to start heading up, I was relieved. He started floating up. Not wanting to get hit with his swimming fins, I waited a few seconds before following him. It was in these few seconds that an American crocodile bit down on my leg and starting to drag me backward through the water.
I did my best to stay calm. I knew that the most important thing was not to move my leg, or to struggle. A crocodile’s mouth is highly receptive to texture and taste. I didn’t feel pain, just pressure. So I was hoping that the crocodile was only tasting the neoprene of my suit, not my actual leg. If it decided that scuba suit wasn’t food, it would hopefully release its jaws and let me go.
Finally, it did! I was able to swim to the surface and get medical attention for the bite. When an animal tastes a potential food like this, it’s called an “exploratory bite.” The crocodile was exploring whether or not this new object might be edible. Fortunately, the croc decided that I wasn’t! Adrianna and I have matching scars—an imprint of a crocodile jaw on the inside of our left leg and two puncture wounds on the outside of that leg.
Although there were a lot of safety measures in place for the filming and everyone followed directions—just like you see in the book—accidents can still happen! Similarly to Adrianna, I don’t blame the crew or the crocodile for what happened. I want to give a big shout-out to the medics who took amazing care of me: Mike Hudson and Yusniel Soriano Aguero.
·SNOUT SHAPE: Alligators have wider, U-shaped snouts while crocodile snouts are more pointed and V-shaped.
·TOOTHY GRIN: When their snouts are shut, crocodiles have teeth that stick out. For alligators, all their teeth are hidden because their top jaw is wider than their lower one. Crocodiles win for bite strength—they have a bite pressure that measures 3,700 pounds per square inch. The strongest alligators’ bites are about 2,900 pounds per square inch.
·HOME BASE: Crocodiles like to live in saltwater habitats, while alligators hang out in freshwater marshes and lakes. Alligators can tolerate cold weather better than crocodiles.
·SIZE: An adult crocodile can grow up to roughly 19 feet long; the maximum length for an alligator is around 14 feet.
·LOOKS: Crocodiles tend to be more of a light tan or olive color, whereas alligators are usually a dark black gray.
·ON LAND: Both crocodiles and alligators can move quickly on land for short distances. They can both “gallop” or “sprint” but only do it when threatened. A crocodile might reach almost 9 miles per hour (14 kilometers per hour) while an alligator might reach a maximum speed of about 11 miles per hour (18 kilometers per hour).
·IN WATER: Both crocodiles and alligators move much faster in the water than on land because they can use their long, muscular tails to propel their bodies through the water. When crocodiles swim, they might reach speeds of about 9 miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour) while alligators are much faster and might reach a maximum of 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour). These speeds are for short bursts of energy.
The scientific name means “pointy-snouted crocodile.”
·TYPE OF ANIMAL: Reptile.
·WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT: Lives from the southern United States to northern South America.
·WHAT IT EATS: Feeds on mostly fish but can feed on small mammals, birds, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and even deer!
·AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 70 years.
·SIZE: Up to 15 feet (4.6 meters). They are among the largest of the world’s crocodiles!
·WEIGHT: Up to 2,000 pounds (907.2 kilograms).
·INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN) RED LIST STATUS: Vulnerable.
·CONSERVATION STATUS: Most countries in the American crocodile’s range have passed protection laws, but few governments enforce these laws. A lot of illegal hunting and habitat loss have hurt the American crocodile population!
Crocodiles have been known to bite people but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.
STAY AWAY.
If you can see the crocodile from far away, make sure to keep your distance. Never, ever feed crocodiles! If you think you are somewhere that has crocodiles or if there’s a sign warning of crocodiles in the area, stay at least 20 feet away from the water (recommended by the National Park Service).
GET OUT OF THE WATER.
Crocodiles naturally attack and kill their prey in the water, since they are masters of staying quiet and hidden until it is too late. If you are on a boat in water that has crocodiles, keep your arms and legs inside the boat at all times. Do not swim in water that has a sign warning of crocodiles in the area.
RUN.
If you see a crocodile on land, run as fast as you can! Crocodiles can run at a maximum speed of around 9 miles per hour, and they can do this for only a short time. Although there’s a myth that running in a zigzag can keep you safe, the truth is that it doesn’t matter if you run straight or in a zigzag—just make sure you keep running.
¡Un año más! = One more year!
Aves de Cuba = Birds of Cuba
¿Donde están tus modales? = Where are your manners?
¿Están ustedes allí? = Are you guys there?
¡Vemos un cocodrilo! = We see a crocodile!
> Muchachos = Boys
Lo siento mucho = I’m so sorry
¡Hola familia Villalobos! = Hello, Villalobos family!
Mi amigo = My friend
Familia = Family
Bienvenidos = Welcome
Gracias = Thank you
Mi nena = My girl (or daughter)
Satos = Mutts
¡Oye! ¡Regresa aquí! = Hey! Get back here!
Empleado de la perrera = Dogcatcher
Hola pequeña. ¿Ese es tu perro? = Hello, little girl. Is this your dog?
Es mío = He’s mine
Cuídate = Take care of yourself
Tienda = Store
La perrera = The dog pound
Mijo = My son
Mija = My daughter
¡Estamos listos! = We’re ready
Mi amor = My love
Mijos = My kids/my children
Señorita = Little miss
Azul = Blue
Basta = Stop
Vamonos = Let’s go
Nada = Nothing
Por favor = Please
Mi tesoro = My treasure
Hola = Hello
Author photo by Connor Watling
Known as the “Mother of Sharks,” Melissa Cristina Márquez is a Latina marine biologist who has a lot of labels: science communicator, conservationist, author, educator, podcaster, and television presenter. Born in Puerto Rico and raised all over the world, she now calls Australia home. She studies sharks, climbs up sand dunes, spies on birds in the rain forest, and tracks down kangaroos in the Outback … and then writes about her adventures! Wild Survival: Crocodile Rescue! is her debut novel. Find Melissa online at melissacristinamarquez.com.
Copyright © 2021 by Melissa Cristina Márquez
Illustrations by Alyssa Petersen copyright © 2021 by Scholastic Inc.
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Cover art © 2021 by Mike Heath | Magnus Creative
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
First printing 2021
e-ISBN 978-1-338-63507-2
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