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Three extant crocodilian species clockwise from top-left: saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), and gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) Crocodilia is an order of mostly large, predatory , semiaquatic reptiles , which includes true crocodiles , the alligators , and caimans ; as well as the gharial ...
The largest species of crocodile is the saltwater crocodile, found in eastern India, northern Australia, throughout South-east Asia, and in the surrounding waters. The brain volume of two adult crocodiles was 5.6 cm 3 for a spectacled caiman and 8.5 cm 3 for a larger Nile crocodile .
The generic name, Crocodylus, was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. [2] Crocodylus contains 13–14 extant (living) species and 5 extinct species. There are additional extinct species attributed to the genus Crocodylus that studies have shown no longer belong, although they have not yet been reassigned to new genera.
The Fort Worth Zoo announced the hatching of two gharial crocodiles on July 24, 2024. This is the second year in a row that eggs from this critically endangered species have hatched at the zoo.
Crocodylinae is a subfamily of true crocodiles within the family Crocodylidae, and is the sister taxon to Osteolaeminae (dwarf crocodiles and slender-snouted crocodiles). Taxonomy [ edit ]
Some species of crocodilians, particularly the Nile crocodile, are known to have attacked humans, which through activities that include hunting, poaching, and habitat destruction are the greatest threat to crocodilian populations. Farming of crocodilians has greatly reduced unlawful trading in skins of wild-caught animals.
However, beginning in the late 1980s, many scientists began restricting the order Crocodilia to the living species and close extinct relatives such as Mekosuchus. The various other groups that had previously been known as Crocodilia were moved to Crocodylomorpha and the slightly more restrictive Crocodyliformes . [ 11 ]
The years from 1940 to 1970 were the peak of unregulated hunting and may have regionally caused irreparable damage to saltwater crocodile populations. [153] The species currently has full legal protection in all Australian states and territories where it is found – Western Australia (since 1970), Northern Territory (since 1971) and Queensland ...