| Crocodiles, Alligators, Gharials and Caimans all fall | | | | subdued and made safe for travel by having their |
| under the order of Crocodilia. These are large aquatic | | | | jaws taped or held with large rubber bands. They also |
| reptiles that live in tropical areas throughout the U.S., | | | | have limited side-to-side movement in their neck. They |
| Africa, Asia and Australia. Most in this family enjoy | | | | have an extremely slow metabolism, which means |
| freshwater or brackish water habitats, while some | | | | they can survive long periods without food and |
| migrate from fresh to salt and some live completely in | | | | contrary to their awkward appearance they can |
| salt water. Their food sources are mostly other | | | | move quite fast both in and out of the water, making |
| reptiles, mammals and fish, though sometimes they will | | | | them the top predator in their environments. Crocodiles |
| feed on invertebrates like crustaceans and mollusks. It | | | | have even been seen attacking and killing sharks. |
| depends largely upon the species and their available | | | | The species that fall into the Crocodilia order of reptiles |
| food sources. | | | | are: |
| Crocodiles are considered to have the most ancient | | | | Alligators: |
| lineage, changing little since the time they lived with the | | | | - American Alligator |
| dinosaurs. It is believed that crocodiles survived | | | | - Chinese Alligator |
| extinction where most other species perished, only to | | | | Crocodiles: |
| evolve as a wholly different looking animal. Crocodiles | | | | - American Crocodile |
| are believed to be over 200 million years old; dinosaurs | | | | - Nile Crocodile |
| became extinct 65 million years ago. | | | | - Cuban Crocodile |
| The name itself came from the Ancient Greek | | | | - Australian Saltwater Crocodile |
| language where crocodiles, meaning lizard, was used in | | | | - Australian Freshwater Crocodile |
| this phrase: ho crocodilos ho potamós, which means | | | | - Slender-Snouted Crocodile |
| "the lizard of the river" and was referring to the Nile. | | | | - Orinoco Crocodile |
| Unlike other reptiles, crocodiles have a cerebral cortex, | | | | - Philippine Crocodile |
| which is a sheet of neural tissue that plays a key role | | | | - Morelet's Crocodile |
| in attention span, awareness, consciousness and | | | | - New Guinea Crocodile |
| memory in mammals. They also have a | | | | - Mugger Crocodile |
| four-chambered heart and the functional equivalent of | | | | - Dwarf Crocodile |
| a diaphragm, which incorporates the muscles used for | | | | - False Gharial |
| swimming into those used for respiration. | | | | Caimans: |
| Crocodiles are also designed to be predators. Their | | | | - Spectacled Caiman |
| bodies are streamlined for swimming swiftly and they | | | | - Broad-Snouted Caiman |
| can tuck their feet into their sides in order to reduce | | | | - Yacare Caiman |
| water resistance. They have webbed feet that they | | | | - Black Caiman |
| use for making quick turns and movements in the | | | | - Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman |
| water, more than they use them for propulsion. Their | | | | - Smooth-Fronted Caiman |
| webbed feet also make it easier for them to move in | | | | Gharials: |
| shallower water where they may use them for | | | | - Gharial |
| walking rather than swimming. | | | | As we think about the earth and the battle to save |
| Their jaws can bite down with more than 5,000 lbs per | | | | some of our most precious natural habitats, you can |
| square inch of force. A great white shark can only bite | | | | almost be guaranteed that the amazing crocodile will |
| down with 800 lbs of force. Their jaws, on the other | | | | survive, even if we humans don't. Can you imagine |
| hand, use a very weak muscle with which to open | | | | what the combined "memories" of these amazing, |
| them, which is why you see crocodiles and alligators | | | | ancient reptiles would hold? If only they could talk to us! |