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recent forms within the pterygoids. The under jaws are hinged on to the quadrate bones, which extend obliquely backwards, and are immovably wedged in between the squamosal and the lateral occipital wings. The See also:

TEETH (O.E. Eel); plural of tooth, O.E. top)

teeth form a See also:

COMPLETE

complete See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series .in the under See also:

JAW (Mid. Eng. jawe, jowe and geowe, O. Eng. cheowan, connected with " chaw " and " chew," and in form with " jowl ")

jaw, and in the upper jaw on the premaxillary and maxillary bones. They are conical and deeply implanted in separate sockets. They are often See also:

SHED

shed throughout See also:

LIFE

life, the successors lying on the inner See also:

side, and with their caps partly fitting into the wide open roots of the older teeth.

Especially in alligators the upper teeth overlap laterally those of the See also:

LOWER

lower jaw, whilst in most crocodiles the overlapping is less marked and the teeth mostly interlock, a feature which increases with the slenderness of the snout. In old specimens some of the longer, lower teeth See also:

WORK

work their tips into deep pits, and ultimately even perforate the corresponding parts of the upper jaw. The first and second vertebrae each have a pair of See also:

long, movable ribs. There is a See also:

compound abdominal sternum. The so-called pubic bones are large and movable. There are five fingers and four toes, provided with claws, excepting the See also:

OUTER

outer digits. The See also:

TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue is See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat and thick, attached by its whole under See also:

SURFACE

surface; its hinder margin is raised into a transverse See also:

FOLD

fold, which, by See also:

MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting a similar fold from the See also:

PALATE (Lat. palatum, possibly from the root of pascere, to feed)

palate, can shut off the mouth completely from the wide cavity of the See also:

THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat. Dorsally the posterior nares open into this cavity. Consequently the beast can See also:

lie submerged in the See also:

WATER

water, with only the nostrils exposed, and with the mouth open, and breathe without water entering the See also:

WINDPIPE

windpipe. Within the glottis is a pair of membranous folds which serve as vocal cords; all the Crocodilia are possessed of a loud, bellowing See also:

VOICE (Fr. voix, from Lat. vox)

voice. The See also:

STOMACH (Gr. vrbsaxos from arbga, a mouth)

stomach is globular, rather See also:

MUSCULAR

muscular, with a pair of tendinous centres like those of birds; its See also:

SIZE

size is comparatively small, but the digestion is so rapid and powerful that every See also:

bone of the creature's See also:

PREY (0. Fr. preie, mod. proie, Lat. praeda, booty, from prae and the root hed—seen in prehendere, prendere, to grasp)

prey is dissolved whilst still being stowed away in the wide and long gullet. The anal opening forms a See also:

LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal slit; within it, arising from its anterior corner, is the unpaired copulatory See also:

ORGAN

organ.

The vascular See also:

SYSTEM

system has attained the highest See also:

state of development of all reptiles. The See also:

heart is practically quadrilocular, the right and See also:

LEFT

left halves being completely partitioned, except for a small communication, the foramen Panizzae, between the right and left aortae where these See also:

CROSS

cross each other on leaving their respective ventricles. The outer See also:

EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear lies in a See also:

RECESS (Lat. recessus, a going back, withdrawal, from recedere, to withdraw)

recess which can be closed tightly by a dorsal flap of skin. The See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of See also:

HEARING (formed from the verb " to hear," O. Eng. hyran, heron, &c., a common Teutonic verb; cf. Ger. Koren, Dutch hooren, &c.; the O. Tent. form is seen in Goth. hausjan; the initial h makes any connexion with " ear," Lat. audire, or Gr. &Kobew very doub

hearing is acute, and so is the sight, the eyes being protected by upper and lower lids and by a nictitating membrane. The skin of the whole See also:

BODY

body is scaly, with a hard, horny, waterproof covering of the epidermis, but between these mostly flat scales the skin is soft. The scutes or dermal portions of the scales are more or less ossified, especially on the back, and form the characteristic dermal See also:

ARMOUR, PHILIP DANFORTH (1832-1901)

armour. The skins or" hides " of See also:

commerce consist entirely of the tanned cutis minus, the epidermis and the horny coverings of the scutes. All the Crocodilia possess two pairs of See also:

MUSK (Med. Lat. muscus, late Gr. µbvXos, possibly Pers. mushk, from Sansk. mushka, the scrotum)

musk-glands in the skin; one is situated on the inner side of the lower jaw. The opening of the glands is slit-like and leads into a See also:

POCKET

pocket, which is filled with a smeary, strongly scented See also:

MATTER

matter. The other pair lies just within the lips of the cloacal opening. See also:

PROPAGATION

Propagation takes See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place by eggs, which are See also:

OVAL (Lat. ovum, egg)

oval, quite See also:

white, with a very hard and strong See also:

shell. Their size varies from 2 to 4 in. in length, according to the size of the See also:

SPECIES

species and the See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age of the See also:

FEMALE

female.

She See also:

LAYS

lays several dozen eggs in a carefully prepared See also:

NEST

nest. The See also:

Nile crocodile makes a hole in white See also:

sand, which is then filled up and smoothed over; the See also:

MOTHER

mother sleeps upon the nest, and keeps See also:

WATCH (in O. Eng. wcecce, a keeping guard or watching, from wacian, to guard, watch, wacan, to wake)

watch over her eggs, and when these are near hatching —after about twelve weeks—she removes the 18 in. or 2 ft. of sand. Other species, especially the alligators, make a very large nest of leaves, twigs and humus, scraping together a See also:

MOUND

mound about a yard high and two or more yards in See also:

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter. The eggs, in several layers, are laid near the See also:

TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top. The adults frequently dig long subterranean passages into the See also:

banks of streams, and, during dry seasons, they have been found deep in the hardened mud, whence they emerge with the beginning of the rains. They spend most of their See also:

time in the water, but are also very fond of basking in the hot See also:

sun on the banks of See also:

rivers or in marshes, usually with the See also:

head turned towards the water, to which they take on the slightest alarm. They can walk perfectly well, and they do so deliberately with the whole body raised a little above the ground. When their pools dry up, or when in See also:

SEARCH, or VISIT AND SEARCH

search of new See also:

HUNTING (the verbal substantive from " hunt "; O. Eng. huntian, hunta; apparently connected with O. Eng. hentan, Gothic hinpan, to capture, O.H.G. hunda,booty)

hunting-grounds, they sometimes undertake long wanderings over See also:

LAND

land. But the water is their true See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element. They swim rapidly, propelled by the powerful tail and by the mostly webbed limbs, or they submerge themselves, with only the tip of the See also:

NOSE (O.Eng. nosu, cf. Dutch neus, Swed. nos, snout; the Aix in Provence. Both at Aix and at Lyons he acquired great connexion with O.Eng. nasu is obscure, cf. Ger. Nase, Lat. pares, distinction by his labours during outbreaks of the plague. In nostrils,

nose and the eyes showing, or sometimes also the back. They then look like floating logs; and thus they See also:

FLOAT (in O. Eng. floc and flota, in the verbal form f eotan; the Teutonic root is flut-, another form of flu-, seen in " flow," cf. " fleet "; the root is seen in Gr. a-M e, to sail, Lat. pluere, to rain; the Lat, fluere and fluctus, wave, is not connect

float or gently approach their prey, which consists of anything they can over-power. Many a large mammal coming to drink at its accustomed place is dragged into the water by the lurking See also:

monster.

Certainly there are occasional See also:

man-eaters amongst them, and in some countries they are much feared. As a See also:

RULE

rule, however, they are so wary and suspicious that they are very difficult to approach, and their haunts are so well stocked with See also:

fish and other See also:

GAME

game that they make off and hide rather than attack a man See also:

SWIMMING (from " swim," A.S. swimman, the root being common in Teutonic languages)

swimming in their See also:

WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters. But if a See also:

dog is sent in there will be a sudden yelp, the splash from a big tail, and a widening eddy. Crocodile stories, not all fabulous, are plentiful, and begin with one of the See also:

OLDEST

oldest writings in the See also:

WORLD

world, the See also:

BOOK

book of See also:

Job. "Canst See also:

thou draw See also:

LEVIATHAN

leviathan with a See also:

hook? or his tongue with a See also:

CORD (derived through the Fr. corde, from the Lat. chorda, Gr. xop(5rt, the string of a musical instrument)

cord which thou lettest down? . . . See also:

Lay thine See also:

hand upon him, remember the See also:

BATTLE

battle, do no more." This is a very interesting passage, since it can apply only to a large-sized crocodile. Now nothing is known of the occurrence of such in See also:

ARABIA

Arabia, but a few specimens of rather small size seem still to exist in See also:

SYRIA

Syria, in the See also:

WADI

Wadi Zerka, an eastern tributary of the See also:

Jordan. Crocodiles are caught in various ways,— for instance, with two pointed sticks, which are fastened crosswise within the bait, an See also:

animal's entrails, to which is attached a rope. When the creature has swallowed the spiked bait it keeps its jaws so firmly closed that it can be dragged out of the water. A See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of See also:

PLOVER

plover, Pluvianus aegyptivs, often sits upon basking crocodiles, and, since the latter often See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest with gaping mouth, it is possible that these agile birds do pick the reptiles' teeth in search of parasites. Being a very watchful See also:

BIRD

bird, its cry of warning, when it flies off on the approach of danger, is probably appreciated by the crocodile.

But the See also:

story of the See also:

ICHNEUMON (Gr. ixveu)

ichneumon or mongoose is a See also:

FABLE (Fr. fable, Lat. fabula)

fable. Although an inveterate destroyer of eggs, this little creature prefers those of birds and the soft-shelled eggs of lizards to the very hard and strong-shelled eggs which are deeply buried in the crocodile's nest. Considering the See also:

INTEREST

interest which is taken in crocodiles and their See also:

ALLIES, THOMAS WILLIAM (1813-1903)

allies, on See also:

account of their size, their dangerous nature and the sporting trophies which they yield, the following " See also:

key," based upon easily ascertained characters of the See also:

SKULL

skull, is given. I. Snout very long and slender. The mandibular symphysis extends backwards at least to the fifteenth tooth. (a) Nasal bones very small, and widely separated from the premaxilla (which encloses the nostrils) by the maxillaries which join each other for a long distance along the dorsal See also:

mid-See also:

LINE

line.. . . Gavialis gangeticus of See also:

India, the " gharial or fish-eater. (b) Nasal bones long, so as to be in contact with the premaxilla at the hinder corner of the nostril groove. ...Tomistoma schlegeli of See also:

BORNEO

Borneo, Malacca and See also:

SUMATRA

Sumatra. II.

Snout mostly triangular or rounded off. The mandibular symphysis does not reach beyond the eighth tooth. (a) The See also:

FOURTH

fourth mandibular tooth fits into a notch in the upper jaw. Crocodiles. 1. Without a bony nasal septum between the nostrils. . Crocodiles. 2. The nasal bones project through the nasal groove, forming a bony septum. Osteolaemus frontatus s. tetraspis of See also:

West See also:

Africa. (b) Fourth mandibular tooth fitting into a See also:

PIT (O. E. pytt, cognate with Du. put, Ger. Pfutze, &c., all ultimately adaptations of Lat. puteus, well, formed from root pu-, to cleanse, whence gurus, clean, pure)

pit in the upper jaw. Alligators.

1. Without a bony nasal septum.... Caiman, Central and See also:

South America. 2. Nasal bones dividing the nasal groove.... Alligator, America and See also:

CHINA

China. The genus Crocodilus contains seven species. C. vulgaris or niloticus of most of Africa, is found from the See also:

SENEGAL

Senegal to See also:

EGYPT

Egypt and to See also:

MADAGASCAR

Madagascar, reaching a length of 15 ft. It has eighteen or nineteen upper and fifteen lower teeth on each side. C. palustris, the "mugger " or "See also:

marsh crocodile " of India and See also:

CEYLON

Ceylon, extends westwards into See also:

BALUCHISTAN

Baluchistan, eastwards into the See also:

MALAY

Malay islands. It has nineteen upper and lower teeth on either side. The scutes on the See also:

NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck, six in number, are packed closely together, the four biggest forming a square.

The length of 12 ft. is a See also:

FAIR

fair size for a large specimen. C. porosus or biporcatus is easily recognised by the prominent longitudinal See also:

ridge which extends in front of each See also:

eye. Specimens of more than 20 ft. in length are not uncommon, and a monster of 33 ft. is on See also:

RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record. It is essentially an inhabitant of tidal waters and estuaries, and often goes out to See also:

sea; hence its wide See also:

DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution, from the whole See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast of See also:

Bengal to See also:

SOUTHERN

southern China, to the See also:

NORTHERN

northern coasts of See also:

AUSTRALIA

Australia and even to the See also:

Fiji islands. Australians are in the See also:

HABIT (through the French from Lat. habitus, from habere, to have, hold, or, in a reflective sense, to be in a certain condition; in many of the English senses the French use habitude, not habit)

habit of calling their crocodiles alligators. C. cataphractus is the See also:

COMMON

common crocodile of West Africa, easily recognised by the slender snout which resembles that of the gavial, but the mandibular symphysis does not reach beyond the eighth tooth. C. johnstoni of northern Australia and See also:

QUEENSLAND

Queensland is allied to the last species mentioned, with which it agrees by the slender snout. Lastly there are two species of true crocodiles in America, C. intermedius of the See also:

ORINOCO

Orinoco, allied to the former, and C. americanus or acutus of the West Indies, See also:

Mexico, Central America to See also:

VENEZUELA

Venezuela and See also:

ECUADOR (officially La Republica del Ecuador)

Ecuador; its characteristic feature is a median ridge or swelling on the snout, which is rather slender. The above See also:

list sh6ws that the usual statement that crocodiles inhabit the Old World and alligators the New World is not strictly true. In the See also:

TERTIARY

Tertiary See also:

EPOCH (Gr. E7roxij, holding in suspense, a pause, from E1rxav, to hold up, to stop)

epoch alligators, crocodiles and long-snouted gavials existed in See also:

EUROPE

Europe. (H. F.

End of Article: CROCODILE

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