Since the large reptiles leap onto their prey, drag it and drown it in short order, an enormous amount of lactic acid releases from their muscles. This acid contributes to feeling tired after exercise in humans. Crocodilians clear the potentially lethally large doses of acid from their bodies in the blood that shoots to their stomachs. The process may also benefit young crocs, which have to jockey for sunny space by squeezing themselves around older, more dominant, lounging adults. Since they too can send gas-rich blood into their stomachs, it helps that the blood movement can occur quickly, before they lose their sunspot. James Hicks, a University of California at Irvine professor of ecology and evolutionary biology whose lab is currently studying crocodilian circulation, told Discovery News that researchers have debated about why croc blood can bypass lungs for a while. He said the two most common theories are that the process contributes "to the croc's capacity for extended, underwater dives" and that, per the recent study, it helps with digestion. "Dr. Farmer's paper provides the first experimental test and supporting evidence for one of these hypotheses," he said. Impressive as crocodilian digestion is, there is something that the animals just can't stomach. "They can't digest hair," Farmer said. "The hair of their prey forms small pellets, and these are regurgitated."
Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal |
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