Crocodile and Alligator Paddock

Members of the subclass archosaur, crocodilians have been discovered in the same rock layers as popular dinosaurs. The Protosuchus crocodile has been found in the Triassic and Deinosuchus in the Jurassic. Some of these specimens appear from their hip and leg bones to be more agile (and arguably better “fit”) than today’s varieties. A fossil crocidilian has been found with molars, giving evidence that the ancient ancestors were omnivorous (again exhibiting loss of function over time).

Crocodiles are found in Australia, tropical Africa, Asia, and in parts of the Americas. The largest is the saltwater crocodile of southeastern Asia, with a length of up to 9 m (30 ft). While weighing up to a ton, they are capable of rapid movement. When crocodiles swim or float along the surface of the water, they expose only their eyes, nostrils, flat tail, and toes. Most crocodiles hunt at night and bask through the day. Broad-fronted crocodiles usually feed on animals that venture too near; while gharials, specialized narrow-snouted crocodilians, eat mostly fish. You may be surprised to learn that crocodiles chirp much like a bird. (Listen and see for yourself.)

Alligators are relatives of the crocodiles but have a broader snout and lack the side notch that exposes the long fourth tooth of the lower jaw. The female American Alligator prepares a nest on the bank of a pond, lays dozens of eggs in it, and covers them with mud. The eggs are then incubated by the heat of the sun and will hatch in a couple of months. The baby alligators will call when hatched, and the mother alligator then carries them in her mouth to the pond. The male alligator is renowned for its intimidating bellow (click to listen). The largest recorded length for an American Alligator is 19′ 2″, killed in the early 1900′s in the state of Louisiana. Since the belly skin of alligators lacks the bony plates typical of crocodile skin, it can be worked to form superior leather for shoes, belts, and handbags which has made the alligator a prime target for hide hunters. Unfortunately it has also made large specimens rare. Only recently has the American alligator been removed from the endangered list.