Bathers on the beach L’Arenal, in Tarragona they were very scared yesterday when they arrived and found that it was closed due to the presence of a crocodile. The toilet area was closed for 5 hours, after which it was decided to reopen it as the animal was not seen and it was suspected that it could have been a false alarm. Social media was flooded with humorous posts from users asking the question How could the crocodile get to the sea?
But the truth is, whether the Tarragona sighting was real or not, there are crocodiles that can spend time in the sea. In fact, some enjoy it so much that they have earned the nickname Saltwater crocodiles or, with love, “salty”.
These saltwater crocodiles are now the largest reptiles in the world. They can reach sizes 6-7 meters in lengthso they usually do not go unnoticed. Females are smaller, but not less than 2 meters. The only witness of the sighting in L’Arenal claims that the size of the animal was about one and a half meters. All this makes us think that it could have been a false alarm, which was finally confirmed. But now is the time to find out how these animals can get to the sea. The story is most interesting.
Watching crocodiles in the sea
There are mainly two types of crocodiles found in the sea: saltwater crocodileCrocodile porous) and American (Crocodile sharp). The former is found mainly between Southeast Asia and northern Australia, while the latter ranges from Florida and Mexico to northern Venezuela and Peru, passing through some islands of the Antilles and the Caribbean.
There have been several recorded fatal attacks by the first species. For example, in 2016 two women were swimming in australian beach one Sunday evening when one of them was attacked by a crocodile. Her friend tried to pull her out and save her from the reptile’s jaws, but in the end she failed and he took her with him into the sea.
Later, in 2010, a crocodile killed a female diver on a reef off Havelock Island in India. These crocodiles are very territorial, so unlike other species, they attack easily, to the point that every year on average 6 attacks on people.
As for the American crocodile, it is more gentle, so not many attacks have been documented, but they have been noticed Walking along the beachesThis happened, for example, in 2016, when a specimen caused a stir on Palancar Beach in Mexico.
How do they survive?
Crocodiles are usually found in freshwater areas. This is where they live most comfortably. However, the saltwater crocodile and the American crocodile have salt glands on their tongues, which help them remove sodium chloride from the water, which can be harmful to them.
Although it is not known exactly how they reach the sea, it is believed that they use sea currents to move from one river to another. They are usually males are medium sizedso they may have been displaced by other males in their original habitat and must find a new place to live. Saltwater crocodiles have a tremendous ability to perform these movements. Some have been seen more than 400 kilometers the nearest community of these reptiles. Not far enough to reach Spain, of course.
They spend time doing this. In the case of the American crocodile, there are studies that show that 65% of its diet is marine animals. This indicates that they spend more time in the sea than they think. And the worst thing for swimmers is that they do it in mangroves or areas near beaches.
There may be crocodiles in the sea, but in Spain too?
In Spain or anywhere else in Europe, it is difficult to see crocodiles in the sea, mainly because they are not found in the rivers. Here There are no native species living there. They existed before, but now only their fossils remain.
What happened in Tarragona was probably false alarm. However, it is true that an alligator was caught in the Besos River that same month. It was a baby, possibly abandoned by someone who had it as a pet. This is sheer recklessness that could endanger both the animal itself and the people, animals, and ecosystem in the area.
Sightings of wild animals that are never found are common in Spain. From a panther that was supposedly wandering through a suburban park in the town of Berja in Almeria in 2013, to another crocodile that was never found in Pisuerga in 2020. These sightings are usually characterized by very little evidence, and in some cases, mass hysteria ensues, with other people believing they have seen them.
In the case of Tarragona, notification was made to the authorities at 7:30 in the morning, the manager of the inflatable stand. But no one else saw it. It seems there is nothing to be afraid of. But jokes about the presence of a crocodile in the sea are not actually true. Yes, maybe, although it is not.
Source: Hiper Textual
