. Zoology. Zoology. 198 ZOOLOGY. Order 5. Crocodilia.—The crocodile, caiman, gavial, and alligaLor are the examples of this well-known group. 'J'hey present a decideil step in advance of other rei)tilcs, the heart approaching that of birds, in having the ventricle completely divided by a partition into two chambers; the venous and arterial blood mingle outside of the heart, not in it, as in the foregoing orders. The brain is also more like that of birds. The nostrils are capable of closing, so that crocodiles and alligators dj'aw their prey under the water and hold them there until they are dr
. Zoology. Zoology. 198 ZOOLOGY. Order 5. Crocodilia.—The crocodile, caiman, gavial, and alligaLor are the examples of this well-known group. 'J'hey present a decideil step in advance of other rei)tilcs, the heart approaching that of birds, in having the ventricle completely divided by a partition into two chambers; the venous and arterial blood mingle outside of the heart, not in it, as in the foregoing orders. The brain is also more like that of birds. The nostrils are capable of closing, so that crocodiles and alligators dj'aw their prey under the water and hold them there until they are drowned; but they are obliged to drag them ashore m order to eat tiiem. The. Fia. 240.—Head of the Florida Crocodile. skin is covered with large bony, epidermal scales. The conical teeth are lodged in sockets in the jaws. The feet ai'e partly webbed. Tlie crocodiles and gavials lay from twenty to thirty cylindi'ical eggs in the sand on river banks. Tlie crocodiles arc distributed throughout the ti'f)pics, even Australia; the gavials are mostly confined to India and Malaysia, and also Australia. The group is represented in the Southern States l)y the alligator [A. Mississippieusis). It is nearly two metres (10-13 feet) long; while the Florida crocodile (0. ncutux. Fig. 240) in which the jaws are much )iariower, is over two and a half metres (14 feet) long. It inhabits the rivers of Florida, where it is very i-are, and also the West Indies and South America. 'J'ho cayman of Guiana belongs to a distinct genus, Caiman, and is char- acteristic of the rivci's of tropical South Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Packard, A. S. (Alpheus Spring), 1839-1905. N. Y. , Holt
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1897
