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Crocodilians

Please choose an animal from the list below

Family Crocodylidae

Alligators (Subfamily Alligatorinae)

Caimans (subfamily Alligatorinae)

Spectacled Caiman (Common Caiman)
Broad-Snouted Caiman
Yacare Caiman
Black Caiman
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman
Smooth-Fronted Caiman (Schneider's Dwarf Caiman)

Crocodiles (Subfamily Crocodylinae)

American Crocodile
Nile Crocodile
Cuban Crocodile
Australian Saltwater Crocodile (Estuarine/Indopacific Crocodile)
Australian Freshwater Crocodile (Johnston's Crocodile)
Slender-Snouted Crocodile
Orinoco Crocodile
Philippine Crocodile
Morelet's Crocodile
New Guinea Crocodile
Mugger Crocodile (Marsh Crocodile)
Siamese Crocodile
Dwarf Crocodile
False Gharial (False Gavial)

Gharials (Subfamily Gavialinae)

Gharial (Gavial)

Order Crocodylia

There are 23 species of crocodilians in one family (although some people say three). They are divided into four distinct groups based on the appearance of the snout and the placement of the teeth. They have thick scales and bony plates and are found in marshlands, estuaries, and saltwater. They are mostly large reptiles, the smallest being the dwarf caiman, and almost all species pose as potential threats to humans. Attacks are rare, but they have been known to happen, especially with the American alligator and the Nile crocodile. All crocodilians lay their eggs in nests and the young are miniature replicas. They hunt by floating on the surface with all the appearance of a tree log and attack when an animal gets too close. They are the most amphibious of the reptiles with the exception of the chelonians. There is one family in three subfamilies:

Crocodylidae
Subfamily Alligatorinae (caimans, alligators)
Subfamily Crocodylinae (crocodiles, false gavials)
Subfamily Gavialinae (gavials)

Below is another common way of classifying crocodilians within three families:

Alligatoridae (caimans, alligators)
Crocodylidae (crocodiles, false gavials)
Gavialidae (gavials)

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