Gharials and Caimans: The other crocodiles

There are 2 other members of the order Crocodilia that are somewhat less well known than crocodiles and alligators:


Gharials- These critically endangered members of the family Gavialidae are characterized by their long, slender jaws. They have many razor-sharp teeth, well adapted to eating fish. They live only on the Indian subcontinent and along with the Saltwater crocodile and the Nile crocodile, it is amongst the largest of all crocodiles, growing to lengths of 20 feet or more.Caiman- South and Central american reptiles that are closely related to alligators. They are amongst the most common of crocodilian species due to their tolerance to both fresh and saltwater.

"Jesus Lizards"

The basilisk lizard, or so called "jesus lizard", has adapted a unique adaptation for escaping predators; running on water!

Because of their relatively light weight and unique locomotion, they are able to run across water for about 15 feet before sinking and having to swim.

Jesus Lizard Video

Venomous snakes

There are 3 varieties of venomous snakes:

Opisthoglyphous snakes: Fixed fangs in the back of the snakes mouth that are angled backward with grooves for delivering venom. Most of these snakes are not harmful to humans, with the exception of the Boomslang.



Proteroglyphous snakes: Fixed fangs in the front of a snake's mouth for delivering highly potent venom. This dentition is unique to elapids, which includes cobras. Some spitting cobras have modified these fangs to allow them to spray venom in attacker's eyes. As shown in this video: Spitting Cobra

Solenoglyphous snakes: Most advanced venom delivery system. Fangs typically folded against the roof of the mouth. When striking, fangs swing into position in order to inject venom. The venom is typically less potent than proteroglyphs, but solenoglyphs are capable of injecting much more venom. This type of dentition is unique to vipers.

The most venomous snake in the world is the Inland Taipan. One bite from this snake is enough to kill approximately 100 people or 250,000 mice! This is 50x more potent than a King Cobra.