I believe it was the renowned biologist, Charles Darwin who once said, \u201cNever smile at a crocodile. Never tip your hat and stop to talk a while. Don\u2019t be taken in by his welcome grin. He\u2019s imagining how well you\u2019d fit within his skin.\u201d<\/p>\n
This, it turns out, is a pretty good summary of modern research into crocodile locomotion. Modern crocodilians, which include crocodiles, alligators and caimans, have\u00a0a variety of ways to move on land, such as walking, trotting, running, galloping and bounding.<\/p>\n
Each comes with its own biomechanically distinct pattern of limb movement, and generally speaking, bigger-bodied crocodilians are less athletic than smaller ones.<\/p>\n
The fastest gait is a \u201cbelly run\u201d, where the body stays low and horizontal, and moves in a snake-like fashion. Limbs are extended sideways to push against the ground, while the tail whips to and fro. When it runs in this way, Australian freshwater crocodiles can reach speeds of up to 11 miles per hour. This pattern of movement is good for lunging at prey or escaping threats, but it\u2019s energy intensive and can\u2019t be sustained over long time periods or distances. A typical belly run lasts just a few seconds over distances of up to 20 metres.<\/p>\n
At the height of his athletics career, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt reached speeds of up to 27.5 miles per hour.\u00a0\u00a0The average running speed for a healthy adult is 12 to 15 miles per hour over short distances, but don\u2019t think about getting into the starting blocks next to a crocodile just yet.<\/p>\n
Think about the distance between you and the croc when the race begins. Even elite human sprinters take around five to seven seconds to reach their maximum running speed. Crocs, on the other hand, achieve theirs almost instantly. They\u2019ve also got more than 60 sharp, pointy teeth, which are used for gripping and swallowing prey, and have evolved a serious taste for living flesh. So, as Darwin once said, \u201cnever run, walk away, say good-night, not good-day, clear the aisle but never smile at Mister Crocodile.\u201d<\/p>\n