Crocodiles of the World A Complete Guide to Alligators, Caimans, Crocodiles and Gharials

Crocodiles come in a variety of size, shape, habits, and even habitats, from the infamous saltwater crocodiles that occasionally near 6 metres in length, to the diminutive 1.5 metre dwarf caimans from South America’s tropics. Crocodiles of the World explores all the facts and figures surrounding the ancestry of this intriguing family of reptiles, dispelling myths, and exploring their extensive evolution on the 230 million years that they have lived on this planet. With fantastic photography encapsulating the diversity of these creatures, this book covers their evolutionary history, their biology and ecology, and the diversity of the species.

Colin Stevenson’ s lifetime fascination with crocodiles began at the age of two. He is a member of the IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group (currently co-editing the fourth revision of its Action Plan for Crocodilians), as well as the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication. Heavily involved in dedicated Task Forces for endangered crocodilian species, he has worked with crocs in Australia, India, Brazil and the UK. He has authored many papers on crocodile conservation and behavior.

CONTENTS Preface .............................................................................................................. 6 Classification .................................................................................................... 8 The Origin of Crocodilians ........................................................................... 14 Crocodile or Alligator… or Caiman? .............................................................. 30 The Crocodilian Body ................................................................................... 34 Distribution and Habitat ................................................................................ 71 Movement ...................................................................................................... 82 Food and Feeding ........................................................................................... 87 Reproduction ................................................................................................. 99 Protecting the World’ s Crocodilians .............................................................119 CROCODILE FAMILIES, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES ... 137 Alligatoridae ............................................................................................. 138 – Alligator mississippiensis American Alligator ............................................141 – Alligator sinensis Chinese Alligator ......................................................... 148 – Caiman crocodilus sp. Spectacled Caiman .............................................. 156 – Caiman latirostris Broad-snouted Caiman .............................................. 164 – Caiman yacare Yacare Caiman ............................................................... 168 – Melanosuchus niger Black Caiman ...........................................................172 – Paleosuchus palpebrosus Dwarf Caiman ....................................................178 – Paleosuchus trigonatus Smooth-fronted Caiman ...................................... 182 Crocodylidae ............................................................................................. 186 – Crocodylus acutus American Crocodile ................................................... 190 – Crocodylus intermedius Orinoco Crocodile .............................................. 196 – Crocodylus johnstoni Freshwater Crocodile ..............................................200 – Crocodylus mindorensis Philippine Crocodile ...........................................204 – Crocodylus moreletii Morelet’ s Crocodile .................................................208 – Crocodylus niloticus Nile Crocodile.......................................................... 212 – Crocodylus novaeguineae New Guinea Crocodile ...................................... 218 – Crocodylus palustris Mugger Crocodile ................................................... 222 – Crocodylus porosus Saltwater Crocodile ................................................... 228 – Crocodylus rhombifer Cuban Crocodile .................................................... 236 – Crocodylus siamensis Siamese Crocodile ................................................. 242 – Crocodylus suchus West African Crocodile ............................................... 249 – Osteolaemus tetraspis Central African Dwarf Crocodile ......................... 250 – Osteolaemus osborni Congo Dwarf Crocodile .......................................... 250 – Mecistops cataphractus West African Slender-snouted Crocodile ............ 256 – Mecistops leptorhynchus Central African Slender-snouted Crocodile ....... 256 – Tomistoma schlegelii Tomistoma .............................................................. 262 Gavialidae ................................................................................................. 269 – Gavialis gangeticus Gharial ..................................................................... 270 Resources ...