CROCODILES

Crocodiles are one of the largest living reptiles. Crocodiles,alligators,gavials, and caymans all look alike. They are called crocodilians. Both crocodiles and alligators have long, low, cigar-shaped bodies. They have short legs and powerful tails that they use to swim. In most crocodiles the snout comes to a point. When a crocodile closes his mouth his teeth stick out unlike the teeth of an alligator.Crocodiles prefer large bodies of shallow water, open swamps, and marshes. Crocodiles eat many small animals, such as fish, birds, and mammels. Sometimes they attack large animals and humans. A crocodile can twist a large animal into pieces by attacking a part of it and then turning lengthwise in the water. Crocodiles lay eggs like most reptiles. The largest crocodile is the Nile Crocodile which reaches lengths of twenty feet.