Every Crocodile Relative You've Seen but Can't Name Explained

Ten real members of the crocodile order that most people have already seen in a clip, a documentary, or a meme, but could never actually name. From the scissor-thin snout of the gharial and its "false" look-alike, to China's last wild alligators, the jumping Cuban crocodile, the ten-million-strong caiman population of the Pantanal, and the record-breaking bite force of the saltwater crocodile, this list puts a name to every face. Sources: • Guinness World Records — "Largest crocodile in captivity ever" (Lolong, Crocodylus porosus) • Erickson, G. M. et al. (2012), PLoS ONE 7(3) — "Insights into the Ecology and Evolutionary Success of Crocodilians Revealed through Bite-Force and Tooth-Pressure Experimentation" • IUCN Species Survival Commission – Crocodile Specialist Group (iucncsg.org) — species accounts for the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) • San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (ielc.libguides.com/sdzg) — "Gharial" fact sheet • Zoological Society of London, Edge of Existence programme (edgeofexistence.org) — species accounts for the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) and the dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) • Smithsonian Institution Repository — Milián-García, Y. et al.: report on potential Crocodylus rhombifer × Crocodylus acutus hybrids in Cuba • Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (animaldiversity.org) — "Melanosuchus niger" species account • National Geographic Magazine — feature on the yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) of the Pantanal wetland #crocodile #alligator #caiman #gharial #wildlife #animals #reptiles #amazon #pantanal #everyexplained