In pictures: Crocodilians around the world, from the tiny to the terrifying
Published 3 Aug 2020, 11:04 BST
Female crocs lay their eggs in clutches of 20 to 60. After the eggs have incubated for about three months, the mother opens the nest and helps her young out of their shells.
Alligators' heads are shorter and wider than crocodiles'. Although heavy and slow on land, they can ambush their prey from the water by lunging at speeds of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour.
Nile crocodiles are the largest crocodilians in Africa, sometimes reaching 20 feet (6 meters) long.
Saved from the brink of extinction, the American alligator now thrives in its native habitat: the swamps and wetlands of the southeastern United States.
Photograph by Anne Keiser
Critically endangered, the prehistoric-looking American crocodile struggles to survive in pockets of shrinking habitat.
Photograph by Gianfranco Lanzetti
The largest crocodilians on Earth, saltwater crocs, or "salties," are excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea.
American alligators are found in freshwater coastal wetlands across the southeastern United States, from Louisiana to the Carolinas.
Photograph by Dick Bailey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Mother Nile crocodiles lay their eggs in a buried nest, opening it when high-pitched squeaks are heard from within. The sex of baby crocs is dependent upon the temperature of the nest rather than genetics.