26 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
for seizing, as they interlock, and the two longest 
of the lower jaw penetrate through corresponding 
holes, the points appearing through the top of the 
upper jaw, above the snout. 
There are thirty-four teeth in the upper, and an 
equal number in the lower jaw. These are hollow, 
and they are renewed by others which are contained 
within them ; by degrees they develop into a full 
growth, and at a subsequent period they push out 
the old teeth and usurp their place, to be them¬ 
selves displaced upon the same principle in later 
years. 
This special provision of nature for replenishing 
teeth would infer that the crocodile is a creature 
which surpasses all others in the duration of life. 
This is probably a true presumption, excepting the 
tortoise, which is in some eastern countries the 
emblem of longevity. There is a tortoise in a 
garden at Mutwal, near Colombo, which is known to 
be 150 years old, as it had been for a long time in 
possession of the Dutch before the British annexa¬ 
tion of Ceylon ; but its age, when first captured, 
remains a mystery. 
The fore feet of the crocodile somewhat resemble 
the form of a short human hand ; these are armed 
with five long horny claws, sometimes measuring 
4 inches, and are used for holding the prey whilst 
tearing it with the teeth. The claws of the hind 
feet are shorter, and are only four in number. It is 
a mistake to suppose that a crocodile seizes and 
immediately swallows its victim ; it may do so in the 
