Do crocodiles and alligators hold the key to cancer treatment?

From visits to crocodile sanctuaries, it is evident that crocodiles can live in unhygienic conditions; feed on rotten meat; are exposed to heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, and selenium; and endure high levels of radiation-and yet they live up to a 100 years. 1 2 3 4 Thus, it is reasonable to hypothesise that these hardy animals-among the very few species to survive the catastrophic Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event-have developed mechanisms to defend themselves from noxious agents.