Martin Nowak
Martin's Snakes
“Henry the giant crocodile, who has sired 10,000 babies, celebrates 124th birthday”
“Henry the world's oldest known crocodile is celebrating his 124th birthday at a conservation center in South Africa today (Dec. 16).
The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) has lived at the Crocworld Conservation Centre in Scottburgh, South Africa since 1985. He was originally captured in the Okavango Delta in Botswana in 1903.
Henry, now a vigorous senior resident at the Crocworld Conservation Center, is said to have fathered over 10,000 offspring with numerous partners since he arrived there almost 40 years ago.
While his exact birthday is unknown, Crocworld representatives estimate he was born around 1900 and celebrate his birthday on Dec. 16 each year."
"He's clearly old," Steven Austad, a biologist studying animal aging at the University of Alabama, told Live Science. "Whether he's 100 or 130, we don't really know. An age of 124 is not inconceivable for a crocodile."
"Reptiles are known for their impressive longevity. Usually, a good rule of thumb for an animal's lifespan is to look at their size — smaller animals typically live shorter lives because they have higher metabolisms, meaning that they burn more energy and age more rapidly as a result.
But even compared with other animals of roughly the same size, reptiles tend to be much longer-lived. Austad said that being cold-blooded allows them to conserve energy by relying on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature."
(Note: I personally know Dr. Austad who is skilled with many wild animals and an expert in aging processes. A fine gentleman and well-liked teacher.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_N._Austad
Live Science 12/16/2024
https://www.livescience.com/animals...-4815-8868-0BE2DE87514A&utm_source=SmartBrief
“Henry the world's oldest known crocodile is celebrating his 124th birthday at a conservation center in South Africa today (Dec. 16).
The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) has lived at the Crocworld Conservation Centre in Scottburgh, South Africa since 1985. He was originally captured in the Okavango Delta in Botswana in 1903.
Henry, now a vigorous senior resident at the Crocworld Conservation Center, is said to have fathered over 10,000 offspring with numerous partners since he arrived there almost 40 years ago.
While his exact birthday is unknown, Crocworld representatives estimate he was born around 1900 and celebrate his birthday on Dec. 16 each year."
"He's clearly old," Steven Austad, a biologist studying animal aging at the University of Alabama, told Live Science. "Whether he's 100 or 130, we don't really know. An age of 124 is not inconceivable for a crocodile."
"Reptiles are known for their impressive longevity. Usually, a good rule of thumb for an animal's lifespan is to look at their size — smaller animals typically live shorter lives because they have higher metabolisms, meaning that they burn more energy and age more rapidly as a result.
But even compared with other animals of roughly the same size, reptiles tend to be much longer-lived. Austad said that being cold-blooded allows them to conserve energy by relying on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature."
(Note: I personally know Dr. Austad who is skilled with many wild animals and an expert in aging processes. A fine gentleman and well-liked teacher.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_N._Austad
Live Science 12/16/2024
https://www.livescience.com/animals...-4815-8868-0BE2DE87514A&utm_source=SmartBrief