FAMILY:
ALLIGATORIDAE
A. mississippiensis
A. sinensis
C. crocodilus
C. c. apaporiensis
C. c. fuscus
C. latirostris
C. yacare
M. niger
P. palpebrosus
P. trigonatus
FAMILY:
CROCODYLIDAE
C. acutus
C. intermedius
C. johnstoni
C. mindorensis
C. moreletii
C. niloticus
C. novaeguineae
C. palustris
C. porosus
C. rhombifer
C. siamensis
M. cataphractus
O. tetraspis
T. schlegelii
FAMILY:
GAVIALIDAE
DICHOTOMOUS KEY
[German]
Skull of an adult Morelet's crocodile. Crocodilian skulls are "diapsid" in form and, although this is considered to be the "primitive" evolutionary condition, considerable modifications from this pattern can be found. For example, crocodilians do not possess the parietal foramen associated with a light-sensitive organ (as found in primitive reptiles), and air spaces within the bones reduce the weight of the bones, but at the same time not compromising their strength and rigidity. The streamlined nature of the head is also very apparent from this picture.
Photograph courtesy of Jules Ehrstein
