REPTILES 



179 



A. mississippiensis (Daudin). Alligator. Body from 2 to 5 m. 

 long, of which half is the tail ; weight up to 500 lbs. ; color dark brown 

 or blackish, lighter or blotched on the sides and beneath; 19 to 20 teeth 

 on each side of each jaw: North Carolina to the Gulf and westward to 

 the Rio Grande; in the Mississippi as far north as Rodney, Miss.; 

 20 to 40 eggs in a nest, which hatch in about 2 months. The alligator 

 has a loud voice, which can be heard a mile or more. 



Fig. 



-Heads of American alligator and American crocodile; alligator on left (from Reese 

 after Ditmars). 



2. Crocodylus Laurenti (Fig. 98). Head long and pointed; fourth 

 mandibular tooth fits into a notch in the upper jaw and is exposed when 

 the mouth is closed; nasal aperture not divided: 8 species, in America, 

 Africa, Asia and Australia. Of these the Nile crocodile, C. niloticus, 

 which may attain a length of 6 m., is the best known; the marine croco- 

 dile, C. porosus, which is found from India to Australia, is the largest 

 species, attaining a length of 10 m. 



C. acutus Cuvier. Body up to 7 m. long and slender; average 

 adult length 3.5 m.; color olive green or gray: southern Florida and the 

 greater Antilles, except Porto Rico, to Ecuador; in salt marshes; not 

 common. 



Order 2. Lacertilia (Sauna). Lizards. Elongated reptiles 

 whose bodies are covered with scales, and with usually two pairs of 



