458 



CROCODILIA 



watercourses, they bury themselves in the mud and remain in a 

 state of torpor till released by the recurrence of rains. 



C. porosus s. hiporcatus. — -The premaxillo - maxillary suture 

 on the palate does not form a transverse line, but is W-shaped, 



and extends backwards as in the 

 rest of the species of Crocodiles 

 to be described. This Indian 

 species is easily recognised by 

 the prominent longitudinal 

 ridge which extends in front 

 of each eye, over the prefrontal 

 bones, and by the absence of 

 sub-occipital scutes. The nuchal 

 scutes consist of four large ones, 

 which form a square, and one 

 or two smaller scutes on each 

 side. The dorsal shield con- 

 tains four to eight principal 

 longitudinal rows. The digits, 

 webs, and the serrated fringe of 

 the legs are like those of C. 

 palustris. The head and snout, 

 however, are distinctly longer, 

 and more slender in proportion, 

 and the adult has only four 

 „ , - teeth in each premaxilla. The 



Fio. 108.— Dorsal view of the skuU of i i • n i t 



Crocodiius porosus. x about J. Col, general colour IS dark ohve- 



buttress conneetiug the postfrontal with brOWn. Young Specimens aS 

 the jugal and ectopterygoid; J^, frontal; , i , 



Jg, jugai ; Mx, maxillary ; jfa, nasal ; ^suai, are much paler and are 



P, parietal; Pm, premaxilla; Po/, post- spotted with black. 



frontal ; Pr./, prefrontal ; Q, quadrate ; rru • 



fo; quadrato-jugal ; R, the characteristic J-hlS SpeCieS attains a much 



mofai°%*'',Lrr!'r*'^-^f='^*''^-;r larger size than the Marsh 



mosal ; 7, perlorations in the premaxilla ^ 



caused by a pair of lower incisor teeth. CroCodile. Specimens of 15 



to 20 feet in length are not 

 uncommon, and there is a record of one monster of 33 feet. 

 Consequently this is, both in bulk and length, undoubtedly the 

 largest species of recent reptiles. It is essentially an inhabitant 

 of tidal waters or estuaries, frequently entering salt water and 

 going out to sea. Herewith corresponds its wide distribution, 

 namely, the whole coast of the Gulf of Bengal, extending to 



