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]
Mugger's possess four relatively large post-occipital scales immediately behind the head. The nuchal scales further down the neck are characterised by four large scales in a square, flanked by two lateral scutes (one on each side). There are four longitudinal rows of dorsal scutes running down the back (not visible here), although populations in Sri Lanka have six such rows, and it has therefore been suggested this might be a subspecies (C. palustris kimbula). However, there is considerable variation in nuchal scale patterns in other species, and therefore using this characteristic to separate subspecies seems unwise.
Photograph © Adam Britton
