If you get bitten forcibly by a crocodile on the limb (leg or arm), then will your brachial plexus be severed and permanently damaged? Does the crocodile’s teeth and jaw have enough power to pull your arm off? How much would it hurt? Do crocodiles eat humans, or is the reverse true? Is a crocodile an endangered animal or going to be endangered someday?
I can answer a couple of your questions just from general observations by watching nature shows.
Yes, crocodiles and other crocodilians can easily sever an arm or a leg. That is how they feed. They grab on with their jaws and twist in the water to forcibly remove large chunks of flesh from their prey.
Crocodiles do frequently eat humans, especially those who unwarily enter water close to the shore. Crocodiles only need about a foot or 18 inches of water to be completely undetectable by any prey which ventures too close to the water. Crocodiles are also farmed for their meat, so humans can and do eat crocodile meat.
American crocodiles are considered vulnerable. Other species of crocodiles, such as Australia’s saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, and the Nile crocodile, are at the Least Concern end of the spectrum, which means their numbers are healthy and thriving.
From the full article cited above.
I don’t know about crocodiles, but I can tell you than American alligators are thriving, and they appear on the menu in quite a few restaurants. I’ve eaten alligator in Florida, Louisiana, and California.
Anecdotal information from an Aussie friend (who I swear just likes to scare me stupid - but paradoxically wants me to come visit some time) Crocs are numerous and can and will eat/disembowel a human being quite easily. In the event of you being disembowelled, you’re not allowed to kill the croc, as it’s against the law to kill them.
I did see a programme on TV where a croc in a zoo was being moved, the croc grabbed one of the zoo keepers by the arm and went into a “death roll”. It looked like an old Benny Hill show, where they stop the camera, put a dummy in the croc’s mouth then started the camera again. The man didn’t loose his arm, but it was hanging like a bit of wet spaghetti, IIRC his shoulder and elbow were both dislocated. He was lucky the croc let go after one turn, otherwise he would have lost his arm.
What populations of animals do crocs control as an apex predator that would otherwise present some other nuisance or threat to mankind? Snakes? In other words, what would the repercussions be ecologically speaking if we were to wipe them out?
Depends on how strong the crocs mitichlorians are.
I’m just wondering if it’s possible to get bitten by a crocodile in any other way than forcibly. Maybe he just nibbles on you, hardly draws blood? 
There are intended and unintended consequences of removing apex predators in any ecosystem. Subtle changes can ripple through the ecosystem and cause much larger impact than simple the immediate prey species.
In the southeastern US there are mainly alligators, not crocodiles. Crocs are relatively rare, only 500 to 1200 estimated in the wild. Despite anecdotes, there have been no confirmed cases of a fatal crocodile attack on humans in the US. They have happened elsewhere in the Caribbean.
People would have to shop at Walmart in better-looking footwear.
A crocodile forcibly biting a leg and causing permanent brachial plexus damage is one helluva crocodile.
I’m not sure exactly where the brachial plexus runs, but crocs have big sharp teeth that can penetrate deeply into flesh. People who survive bites end up with a nice looking set of puncture wounds. So if the nerve is in a position to be pierced by one of those teeth it’s certainly possible, but maybe not likely.
Well… the brachial plexus is really a set of nerves in the neck region. I suppose the crocodile can bite the leg, tug, “do the death roll”, and if the neck or arm is caught somewhere while the crocodile is pulling in the other direction, then yeah… totally it’s possible.
Brachial = arm
el brazo = arm
That’s how I remember it.
This is more of an IMHO response, but I’m going to give it a shot:
It would hurt a little bit. Maybe more.
Then I wouldn’t be able to surround my house with a moat filled with saltwater crocodiles with laser beams on their heads. What am I going to throw my enemies to, if I can’t do that? No, sharks with laser beams on their heads will NOT do! Then I’d have to dig the moat a lot deeper, and that would cost more.
I read on the internet somewhere (so it must be true) that while a croc’s jaws have an amazing ability to bite down hard, they’re very weak when it comes to opening them. So, if you find yourself under a croc attack, all that you have to do is hold his mouth shut until he becomes bored with you and wanders off.
A lot.
Oh…no problem then! I’m going to go try this out. I will report back shortly…
From various nature shows (including, dear God help me, The Crocodile Hunter) this is true - when transporting crocs one guy will lay on top & hold the mouth shut while someone else runs a few wraps of tape (usually electrical or duct) around it.
However, I don’t think it would be viable tactic for being “under croc attack”, since I’d hazard that in 99% of croc attacks, the very first thing you become aware of is the large crocodile that’s already biting you. It’s not like they get out of the water, chase you down, knock you down with their tail and then bite you. They’re ambush attackers.
Like this?
bite