A Crocodile Almost Bit My Hand Off...

Plus A Cool Turtle Fact!

Author

Capy Tube
June 06, 2025

Are you a Hollywood executive?

If so, the name Elmore Leonard means something to you. If not, here’s a brief introduction…

Elmore Leonard was a successful novelist who had many of his books and stories adapted to film. You might be familiar with some of these adaptations: 3:10 to Yuma, Jackie Brown, Be Cool, and Get Shorty.

Years ago, I read an Elmore Leonard novel called The Hot Kid. And there was a line in the book that’s always stuck with me: “I was thinking instead of paying attention.”

Which leads into today’s story…

An incident where I was trying to be funny instead of paying attention…

Orizaba, Mexico. It’s an interesting city with a unique attraction. The town in home to the “Iron Palace,” a beautiful building designed by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty fame. And, the Iron Palace is the only Art Nouveau metal palace in the world.

Orizaba is also home to a number of other tourist attractions. There’s a wonderful park, cable cars, and a pen of crocodiles.

I assumed these crocodiles were fake. Statues. And being funny, I stuck my hand through the fence and right in between one of the crocodile’s jaws.

The crocodile shifted its eyes to look at me. And that’s when I realized that the crocodiles were, in fact, real. A professional athlete catching the game-winning pass has never moved their hands as fast as I did when I pulled my arm back to safety.

No real moral or point to this story beyond looking through old pictures and wanting to share a neat travel destination with a connection to animals.

And speaking of animals, here’s a friendly Capybara with an impressive set of chompers!

The CapyTube Merch Store Proudly Presents:

Professor Capybara’s Crocodile And Turtle Fact

Did you know that crocodiles and their relatives were alive during pre-historic times and actually co-existed with dinosaurs?

Additionally, turtles actually pre-date dinosaurs. Turtles have been on Earth for over 200 million years, And, these aren’t even the oldest animals on Earth. Sharks date back to 400 million years ago and pre-date trees by around 50 -100 million years!

Don’t let a surprise vet bill torpedo your budget

Routine vet checkups are rising, and some surgeries can cost as much as a holiday in Europe. Fortunately, pet insurance can help offset these unexpected costs. With some policies starting at $10 and reimbursing up to 90%, you can keep your pet healthy without sacrificing your savings.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

- CapyTube