Order Crocodilia
The Crocodilians
Alligator mississipiensis
Look at this monster! This is the dreaded Mississipi alligator, but that dread is slander. Alligators live in swamps and bayous, usually in fresh or brackish water, and they're pretty timid (at least as far as humans are concerned). Most crocodilian attacks come from the more aggressive members which give this order it name, the crocodiles. Nevertheless, alligators are not to be taken lightly. Just look at those teeth. And its neck! That's pure muscle! An alligator's got a bite pressure somewhere under a ton. But that's peanuts to their big cousins the crocodiles. The Southeast Asian saltwater crocodile can exert a pressure of over two tons per square inch! That'd make short work of you or me.
I mentioned attacks. Crocodilians will attack, but generally they consider humans as more of a territorial threat than a food source. Usually, you can easily survive an attack by an alligator or crocodile by simply getting out of their way and staying there. They're very territorial, and will get very aggressive when that territory is violated by any other large predator.
Not all crocodilians are created equal. There are quite a few varieties, which include the two afore-mentioned monster lizards, but also the slightly smaller Nile crocodile, several species of cayman which range from tiny to huge, and the fresh-water crocodile, or gavial.
Families found in this order:
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