In Africa, hundreds of years ago, crocodiles had smooth, gold-colored skin. Legend has it that one of these crocodiles, which lived in Namibia, used to stay hidden during the day in the lake where it was born, enjoying the freshness provided by the water.
Like other crocodiles, he loved to frolic on the muddy bottom, as the sun in Africa was too intense to surface. The nights, on the other hand, were cold and the crocodile took advantage of it to rest on dry land.
The moonlight reflected off her beautiful golden skin and illuminated everything. Nocturnal animals, such as bats, owls, and some felines, came every night to see such beauty. They had never seen such a spectacular animal!
The crocodile was very proud. He caused so much admiration among the other animals that he decided that during the day he would also come out of the lake to strut a little. If its skin was like a lantern in the dark, during the day it would shine almost as much as the sun itself.
And so it was that every morning, the vain crocodile began to emerge from the muddy waters and be seen before the astonished eyes of the animals that made a circle around him to admire him.
– What a wonder of skin! – some commented.
– No animal shines like this crocodile! Look how it dazzles! – Others said, making fuss and putting their legs as a visor over their eyelids so that the glare of the crocodile would not blind them.
But something terrible happened … The heat of the sun was so intense in Africa that, as the days passed, the incredible skin of the crocodile dried and it stopped glistening. Its glow faded and the golden color was transformed into a dry armor covered with hard and dark scales. The crocodile had lost all its beauty! Among the animals, only criticism was heard.
– But how ugly the crocodile has become! His beautiful skin is now a rough, gray shell!
The animals stopped swarming next to him as he had turned into an ugly and menacing-looking being. The crocodile felt humiliated and rejected by everyone. Aware of her transformation, she decided that they would never make fun of her new skin again. That is why since then, he comes to the surface less and if he sees someone approaching, he quickly dives into the water and only pokes out his eyes.
