Crocodile

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For other uses, see Crocodile (disambiguation).

Crocodiles

Temporal range: Eocene–
Holocene, 55–0 Ma 

PreꞒ

Pg

Nile crocodile (Crocodylus
niloticus)
Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus
porosus)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodilia

Family: Crocodylidae

Subfamily: Crocodylinae
Cuvier, 1807

Type species

Crocodylus niloticus

Laurenti, 1768

Genera

† Aldabrachampsus

† Brochuchus

Crocodylus

† Euthecodon

Mecistops

Osteolaemus

† Rimasuchus
 † Voay

Crocodiles (subfamily Crocodylinae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout

the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodylinae, all of whose members are
considered true crocodiles, is classified as a biological subfamily. A broader sense of the term crocodile,
Crocodylidae (which includes Tomistoma), is not used in this article. The term crocodile here applies to
only the species within the subfamily of Crocodylinae. The term is sometimes used even more loosely to
include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes
the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae), the gharial and false gharial (family Gavialidae), and all
other living and fossil Crocodylomorpha.

Although they appear similar, crocodiles, alligators and the gharial belong to separate biological families.
The gharial, with its narrow snout, is easier to distinguish, while morphological differences are more
difficult to spot in crocodiles and alligators. The most obvious external differences are visible in the
head, with crocodiles having narrower and longer heads, with a more V-shaped than a U-shaped snout
compared to alligators and caimans. Another obvious trait is that the upper and lower jaws of the
crocodiles are the same width, and the teeth in the lower jaw fall along the edge or outside the upper
jaw when the mouth is closed; therefore, all teeth are visible, unlike an alligator, which possesses in the
upper jaw small depressions into which the lower teeth fit. Also, when the crocodile's mouth is closed,
the large fourth tooth in the lower jaw fits into a constriction in the upper jaw. For hard-to-distinguish
specimens, the protruding tooth is the most reliable feature to define the species' family.[1] Crocodiles
have more webbing on the toes of the hind feet and can better tolerate saltwater due to specialized salt
glands for filtering out salt, which are present, but non-functioning, in alligators. Another trait that
separates crocodiles from other crocodilians is their much higher levels of aggression.[2]

Crocodile size, morphology, behaviour and ecology differ somewhat among species. However, they have

many similarities in these areas as well. All crocodiles are semiaquatic and tend to congregate
in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water and saltwater.
They are carnivorous animals, feeding mostly on vertebrates such as fish, reptiles, birds and mammals,
and sometimes on invertebrates such as molluscs and crustaceans, depending on species and age. All
crocodiles are tropical species that, unlike alligators, are very sensitive to cold. They separated from
other crocodilians during the Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago.[3] Many species are at the risk
of extinction, some being classified as critically endangered.

Contents

1Etymology

2Species

3Characteristics

3.1Size

3.2Teeth

4Biology and behaviour

4.1Senses

4.1.1Vision

4.1.2Olfaction

4.1.3Hearing

4.1.4Touch

4.2Hunting and diet

4.2.1Bite

4.3Locomotion

4.4Longevity

4.5Social behaviour and vocalization

4.6Reproduction

4.7Cognition

5Taxonomy and phylogeny

5.1Phylogeny

6Relationship with humans

6.1Danger to humans

6.2Crocodile products

6.3In religion

6.4Crocodile tears

6.5The Surabaya Shark and Crocodile

6.6Crocodile (walking)

7See also

8References

9Further reading

10External links

Etymology

The word crocodile comes from the Ancient Greek krokódilos (κροκόδιλος) meaning 'lizard', used in the

phrase ho krokódilos tou potamoú, "the lizard of the (Nile) river". There are several variant Greek forms
of the word attested, including the later form krokódeilos (κροκόδειλος)[4] found cited in many English
reference works.[5] In the Koine Greek of Roman times, krokodilos and krokodeilos would have been
pronounced identically, and either or both may be the source of the Latinized form crocodīlus used by
the ancient Romans. It has been suggested, but it is not certain that the
word crocodilos or crocodeilos is a compound of krokè ('pebbles'), and drilos/dreilos ('worm'),
although drilos is only attested as a colloquial term for 'penis'.[5] It is ascribed to Herodotus, and
supposedly describes the basking habits of the Egyptian crocodile.[6]

The form crocodrillus is attested in Medieval Latin.[5] It is not clear whether this is a medieval corruption
or derives from alternative Greco-Latin forms (late Greek corcodrillos and corcodrillion are attested). A
(further) corrupted form cocodrille is found in Old French and was borrowed into Middle
English as cocodril(le). The Modern English form crocodile was adapted directly from the Classical
Latin crocodīlus in the 16th century, replacing the earlier form. The use of -y- in the scientific
name Crocodylus (and forms derived from it) is a corruption introduced by Laurenti (1768).

Species

Distribution of crocodiles

A total of 16 extant species have been recognized. Further genetic study is needed for the confirmation
of proposed species under the genus Osteolaemus, which is currently monotypic.

Species name Image Distribution Description/Comments

American Throughout the Caribbean A larger sized species, with a

crocodile (Crocodyl Basin, including many of
us acutus) the Caribbean
islands and South Florida.
greyish colour and a
prominent V-shaped snout.
Prefers brackish water, but
also inhabits lower stretches
of rivers and
true marine environments.
This is one of the rare species
that exhibits regular sea-going
behaviour, which explains the
great distribution throughout
the Caribbean. It is also found
in hypersaline lakes such
 as Lago Enriquillo, in
the Dominican Republic,
which has one of the largest
populations of this species.
[7] Diet consists mostly of
aquatic and terrestrial
vertebrates. Classified
as Vulnerable, but certain
local populations under
greater threat.

A smaller species that closely

resembles and was long
classified under the New
Guinea crocodile, which it is
now considered to be
genetically distinct from. It
lives south of the mountain
barrier that divides the two
Hall's New Guinea The island of New Guinea, species' ranges. It can be
crocodile (Crocodyl south of the New Guinea physically distinguished from
us halli) Highlands the New Guinea crocodile by
its shorter maxilla and
enlarged postcranial elements
. Cranial elements can still
widely vary within the
species, with populations
from Lake Murray having
much wider heads than those
from the Aramia River.[8]

Orinoco Colombia and Venezuela This is a large species with a

crocodile (Crocodyl relatively elongated snout and
us intermedius) a pale tan coloration with
scattered dark brown
markings. Lives primarily in
the Orinoco Basin. Despite
having a rather narrow snout,
preys on a wide variety of
vertebrates, including large
mammals. It is a Critically
Endangered species.
Freshwater Northern Australia A smaller species with a
crocodile (Crocodyl narrow and elongated snout.
us johnstoni) It has light brown coloration
with darker bands on body
and tail. Lives in rivers with
considerable distance from
the sea, to avoid
confrontations with saltwater
crocodiles. Feeds mostly
on fish and other small
vertebrates.

Philippine Endemic to the Philippines This is a relatively small

crocodile (Crocodyl species with a rather broader
us mindorensis) snout. It has heavy dorsal
armour and a golden-brown
colour that darkens as the
animal matures.
Prefers freshwater habitats
and feeds on a variety of
small to medium sized
vertebrates. This species
is Critically Endangered and
the most severely threatened
species of crocodile.[9]

Morelet's Atlantic regions A small to medium sized

crocodile (Crocodyl of Mexico, Belize and Guat crocodile with a rather broad
us moreletii) emala snout. It has a dark greyish-
brown colour and is found in
mostly
various freshwater habitats.
Feeds on mammals, birds and
reptiles. It is listed as Least
Concern.

Nile Sub-saharan Africa A large and aggressive species

crocodile (Crocodyl with a broad snout, especially
us niloticus) in older animals. It has a dark
bronze coloration and
darkens as the animal
matures. Lives in a variety of
freshwater habitats but is also
found in brackish water. It is
 an apex predator that is
capable of taking a wide array
of African vertebrates,
including large ungulates and
other predators.[10] This
species is listed as Least
Concern.

New Guinea The island of New Guinea, A smaller species of crocodile

crocodile (Crocodyl north of the New Guinea with a grey-brown colour and
us novaeguineae) Highlands dark brown to black markings
on the tail. The young have a
narrower V-shaped snout that
becomes wider as the animal
matures.
Prefers freshwater habitats,
even though is tolerant to salt
water, in order to avoid
competition and predation by
the saltwater crocodile. This
species feeds on small to mid-
sized vertebrates.

Mugger The Indian This is a modest sized

crocodile (Crocodyl subcontinent and crocodile with a very broad
us palustris) surrounding countries snout and an alligator-like
appearance. It has dark-grey
to brown coloration. Enlarged
scutes around the neck make
it a heavily armoured species.
Prefers slow
moving rivers, swamps and la
kes. It can also be found
in coastal swamps but avoids
areas populated by saltwater
crocodiles.[11] Feeds on a
wide array of vertebrates.

Saltwater Throughout Southeast The largest living reptile and

crocodile (Crocodyl Asia, Northern most aggressive of all
us porosus) Australia and surrounding crocodiles. It is a big-headed
waters species and has a relatively
broad snout, especially when
older. The coloration is pale
 yellow with black stripes
when young but dark
greenish-drab coloured as
adults. Lives
in brackish and marine enviro
nments as well as lower
stretches of rivers. This
species has the greatest
distribution of all crocodiles.
Tagged specimens showed
long-distance marine
travelling behaviour. It is
the apex predator throughout
its range and preys on
virtually any animal within its
reach. It is classified as Least
Concern with several
populations under greater
risk.[12]

A freshwater species of
Borneo
Island of Borneo crocodile that has been
crocodile (Crocodyl
in Southeast Asia considered a synonym of
us raninus)
the saltwater crocodile.

Cuban Found only in the Zapata It is a small but extremely

crocodile (Crocodyl Swamp and Isle of aggressive species of
us rhombifer) Youth of Cuba crocodile that
prefers freshwater swamps.
[13] The coloration is vibrant
even as adults and the scales
have a "pebbled" appearance.
It is a relatively terrestrial
species with agile locomotion
on land, and sometimes
displays terrestrial hunting.
The snout is broad with a
thick upper-jaw and large
teeth. The unique
characteristics and fossil
record indicates a rather
specialized diet in the past,
preying on megafauna such as
the giant sloth. This species
 sometimes displays pack-
hunting behaviour, which
might have been the key to
hunting large species in the
past, despite its small size.
[14] Today most prey are
small to medium sized
vertebrates. It is Critically
Endangered, and the
remaining wild population is
under threat of hybridization.
[15]

Siamese Indonesia, Brunei, East A fairly small crocodile that

crocodile (Crocodyl Malaysia and prefers freshwater habitats. It
us siamensis) southern Indochina has a relatively broad snout
and olive-green to dark green
coloration. It feeds on a
variety of small to mid-sized
vertebrates. Listed
as Critically Endangered, but
might be already extinct in
the wild; status is unknown.
[16]

West African Western and Central Recent studies revealed that

crocodile (Crocodyl Africa this is distinct species from
us suchus) the larger Nile crocodile.[17]
[18] It has a slightly narrower
snout and is much smaller
compared to its larger cousin.

Dwarf Western Africa It is the smallest of all living

crocodile (Osteola crocodiles. It belongs to its
emus tetraspis) own monotypic genus;
however, new studies
indicate there might be two
or even three distinct species.
[19] It is a heavily armoured
species with uniform black
coloration in adults, while
juveniles have a lighter brown
banding. Lives in the tropical
forests of Western Africa.
 Feeds on small vertebrates
and large aquatic
invertebrates. It is a fairly
terrestrial species and
exhibits terrestrial hunting,
especially at night. This
species is classified
as Vulnerable.

A medium sized species with

a narrow and elongated
snout. Lives
West African in freshwater habitats within
slender-snouted tropical forests of the
Western Africa
crocodile (Mecisto continent. Feeds mostly
ps cataphractus) on fish but also other small to
medium sized vertebrates. It
is a Critically
Endangered species.

A medium sized species found

in watery areas in dense
rainforest. Feeds largely on
Central African fish. Insufficient conservation
slender-snouted data, but was classified
Central Africa
crocodile (Mecisto as Critically Endangered when
ps leptorhynchus) lumped with M. cataphractus,
although M. leptorhynchus is
doing better in its home
range.

For information on Tomistoma or false gharial, that is recently not considered as a true crocodile,
see False gharial.