74. REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



side of the upper jaw, protruding upward and in sight. 



Crocodiles, as a rule, have larger teeth, considerably 

 more exposed than the two species of alligators and the 

 allies of the latter — the caimans. On several of the 

 crocodiles the first two teeth of the lower jaw pierce 

 the snout, near the extreme tip, when by constant wear 

 they produce perfectly round orifices through which they 

 protrude some distance, adding a strong point to the 

 animal's surly physiognomy. 



Taking the American Alligator and the Chinese spe- 

 cies as the alligators and comparing these animals with 

 the typical crocodiles, the writer would say the latter are 

 by far the more active, agile in the water — having better 

 developed tails for swimming — and more vicious. The 

 caimans are quite crocodile-like in habits. 



For the benefit of the beginner, the writer has divided 

 the typical crocodiles into four groups, distinguished 

 apart by the outline of the snout. The first group is 

 composed of three members having a snout so slender 

 as to be almost gavial-like — in fact, some writers have 

 called them "false gavials." A glance at the head, how- 

 ever, will show the crocodile features — an inclination to 

 adopt triangular lines, besides a cut-in, irregular outline 

 toward the snout. 



A good representative of group one — the narrow- 

 headed crocodiles — is the Orinoco Crocodile, Crocodi- 

 lus intermedins, growing to a length of twelve feet. 

 Compared with the other New World crocodilians, the 

 snout is extremely narrow — really beak-like. Reptiles 

 of this species are abundant in the Orinoco as well as 

 its tributaries. Older specimens seem to prefer living 

 along the larger rivers, while many of the females and 

 large numbers of young infest inland lagoons, where, 

 protected by dense forest growth, the nests are con- 



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