Crocodiles - Taxonomy
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Picture source:
America Zoo
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The taxonomy of Crocodiles is very difficult and complex. There are three families of Crocodylia, with 23 species total, listed below.
- Family Alligatoridae:
Genus Alligator [True Alligators] includes A. sinensis [Chinese Alligator] and A. mississippiensis [American Alligator];
Genus Caiman [Caimans] includes C. latirostris [Broad-snouted Caiman], C. crocodilus [Common Caiman] and C. yacare [Caiman Yacare];
Genus Paleosuchus [Dwarf Caimans] includes P. palpebrosus [Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman] and P. trigonatus [Schneider's Dwarf Caiman];
Genus Melanosuchus is presented by M. niger [Black Caiman];
- Family Crocodylidae:
Genus Crocodylus includes: C. rhombifer [Cuban Crocodile], C. acutus [American crocodile], C. moreletii [Morelet's Crocodile], C. cataphractus [African Slender-snouted Crocodile], C. niloticus [Nile Crocodile], C. intermedius [Orinoco Crocodile], C. porosus [Indopacific Crocodile], C. johnsoni [Johnston's Crocodile], C. palustris[mugger or marsh crocodile], C. siamensis [Siamese Crocodile], C. mindorensis [Phillippine Crocodile], C. novaguineae [New Guinea Crocodile];
Genus Osteolaemus is presented by O. tetraspis [Dwarf Crocodile]
- Family Gavialidae:
Genus Gavialis is presented by G. gangeticus [Gharial]
Genus Tomistoma is presented by T. schlegelii [False Gharial]
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Picture source:
America Zoo
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Crocodiles - Social Structure
All Crocodilians have a complex social behavior. Individuals behave with one another in term of dominance both in captivity and in the wild, to distribute access to food and to engage in reproduction. Some species of Crocodiles feed cooperatively in the groups of 40-50 and steal each other's hunt.
Crocodiles - General Info Links
Alligators and Crocodiles - Contains interesting facts about Crocodilians.
'Alligators and Crocodiles: Quick Reference Sheet' - Brief information on various Crocodiles.
'Alligators on Treadmills - The Utah's University survey on Crocodiles and dinosaurs.
Archosaurs - Learn about the great Archosaur lineage, which includes a massively diverse array of creatures from dinosaurs and Crocodiles to birds.
Crocodile Species in India - Saltwater Crocodiles and other species inhabiting India.
Crocodiles - NOVA Online presents Crocodile in comparison with dinosaur.
Crocodilian Photo Gallery - All Crocodile species are presented.
Crocodilian Species List -A summary on all Crocodile species, including their distribution, status, and habits.
Crocodilian, Tuatara, and Turtles Species of the World - An online taxonomic and geographic references.
'Crocodylians' - Presents body plan and basic anatomy of Crocodiles.
Crocodylomorpha:Overview - Presents Crocodilian phylogeny and fossil history.
Ferocious Crocs - Hosted by Animal Planet where you can find the answers to popular Croc questions.
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Picture source:
Crocodiles and Turtles of Borneo
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Nile Crocodile - Crocodylus niloticus classification, natural history, and conservation.
Order Crocodylia - Individual species include information on distributions, natural history, conservation, and economic importance.
'PubMed' - National Library of Medicine is useful for searching for scientific publications on various Crocodilians.
Recommendations on the Care of Amphibians and Reptiles in Academic Institutions - Use the 'Find' function under your browser's 'Edit' button to search this site for 'Alligators' and 'Crocodiles'.
St. Augustine Alligator Farm & Zoological Park - Gives general information on Crocodiles and Alligators.
Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Revised Action Plan for Crocodiles 1998 - Studies Crocodilian biology and threats to them.
The Bibliography of Crocodilian Biology - Lots of Crocodiles' links.
Walking with Dinosaurs - Speaking of Super Croc, crocodiles are helping to shed light on creatures that went extinct over 65 million years ago.
