How Do Baby Crocodiles Break Out Of Their Eggs And Get Back To The River?

The crocodile's egg has a tough shell to stop in drying out as it lies in the sand for 90 days, so it is a challenge for the baby crocodile to break its way out. To help it has an egg tooth on the top of its snout. Just before it is ready to hatch it makes lots of noise, including high pitch squeaks that carry for several metres, despite the eggs being buried.

The female crocodile is never too far away and she recognises the sounds and goes to the nest to dig up her eggs. Once the nest is uncovered, she discovers her hatchlings, who have chipped away at their shells with the egg tooth and are free to move around.

She scoops them up in her jaws and carries them to the river, where she releases them gently into the water. When they are in her mouth, the hatchlings change their call to a low pitched chirping, so the female can tell if any have been left behind. The young wash off all the sand they have on them and then rest on the bank. Their parents continue to guard and protect them in the river for a further eight weeks.