Scientific Name of Crocodile

Crocodiles belong to the order Crocodilia, which are large, semi-aquatic predatory reptiles. Members of this order are found in the tropics – especially Africa, Asia, Australia and America. From a biological perspective, the term crocodiles includes only the members from the family Crocodylidae. Though alligators superficially resemble crocodiles, they are quite different, and they belong to a different family – Alligatoridae. In this article, we shall focus on the family Crocodylidae and their characteristics.

Also known as “True crocodiles”, the family Crocodylidae has 3 genera and 14 species. The largest representatives of this family are the Nile crocodiles and the Saltwater crocodiles. One specimen in particular, a saltwater crocodile named Lolong was the largest crocodile to ever live in captivity. It was more than 20 feet long and weighed close to 2370 pounds (1075 kgs). Today, most well known crocodiles fall under the genus Crocodylus.

Selected List of Species

Also Read:

• Reptilia – Characteristics And Classification
• Scientific Names of the Most Common Animals and Plants
• Mammalia – Characteristics and Classification Of Mammals
• Herbivorous & Carnivorous Animals – Characteristics & Examples

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