The athletic world reacted with a mixture of derision and scepticism when it learned that famed Chinese running coach Ma Junren was giving his world-champion female athletes turtles’ blood in hopes of enhancing their performances, but scientists in Cambridge, England have recently learned that a turtle-blood cocktail may be no laughing matter. That’s because they’ve discovered that the blood of another reptile – the crocodile – may eventually improve athletic prowess.

he link between crocodile blood and performance is not such a strange one, because scientists have marvelled for years at the ability of crocodiles to remain under water for over an hour without a single gulp of fresh air. The crocodiles’ requirement for fresh supplies of oxygen is so low that the scaly beasts sometimes simply drag their prey under water, drowning their unfortunate victims without the need for a killing crunch of their powerful jaws. » Read more: Crocodile Blood for Athletes!