The alligator and its allies

by A. M. Reese

Fig. 11. West African Crocodile. (Crocodilus cataphractus.)

Distribution: West Africa.

Does not attain so large a size as the Nile Crocodile. (After Ditmars.)

(Reproduced by Permission of Sturgis & Walton Co.)

In contrast to this ferocious aggressiveness in captivity the American crocodile is said to be very timid and retiring when in its native habitat.

Young animals are greenish with black marking; as they become older they are of an olive color, and old specimens are dull gray.

The Orinoco Crocodile, C. intermedius

This is a species with a very narrow snout that is not quite so large as the preceding. It is said to be abundant in the Orinoco River and its tributaries.

Besides the two above mentioned there is a small species, C. rhombifera, found only in Cuba and hence known as the Cuban crocodile.