Crocodyl’ – Crocodiles
The grumpy old crocodiles, unlike alligators, can’t keep their teeth hidden. Take it as a warning sign!
Do you ever get the impression that Crocodiles look very antique, almost like a dinosaur!? Trust your gut because not only have crocs evaded speciation for a very long time (for over 85 million years, therefore, called living fossils), but they are also very much related to their old pal Dinosaurs. This is also true for their relatives—alligators, caimans, and gharials.
But their antiquity is not the only testament to their grandeur, as these period pieces can weigh as much as solid 1200kgs (2600lb); that’s something! Crocodiles are usually larger by 1.5 m (5 ft) than alligators. Alligators are docile unless provoked to defend, but you never mess with crocodiles because they’re notoriously grumpy (read aggressive).
Genera in this family
Armored tanks of the animal kingdom – home of the biggest crocodilians with the strongest bite on earth!
Smallest of crocodiles with broad snouts native to Central-West Africa
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, once considered a monotypic genus (consists of a single species)
‘Tomistoma,’ the scientific name of false gharial, literally means ‘sharp mouth’
