crocodilian

/ˈkrɑkəˌdɪliən/

Other forms: crocodilians

Definitions of crocodilian

1. noun

   extant archosaurian reptile
   synonyms: crocodilian reptile

   types:

   crocodile

   large voracious aquatic reptile having a long snout with massive jaws and sharp teeth and a body covered with bony plates; of sluggish tropical waters

   Tomistoma schlegeli, false gavial

   crocodile of southeast Asia similar to but smaller than the gavial

   alligator, gator

   either of two amphibious reptiles related to crocodiles but with shorter broader snouts

   caiman, cayman

   a semiaquatic reptile of Central and South America that resembles an alligator but has a more heavily armored belly

   Gavialis gangeticus, gavial

   large fish-eating Indian crocodilian with a long slender snout

   African crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, Nile crocodile

   a dangerous crocodile widely distributed in Africa

   Asian crocodile, Crocodylus porosus

   estuarine crocodile of eastern Asia and Pacific islands

   Morlett's crocodile

   a variety of crocodile

   Alligator mississipiensis, American alligator

   large alligator of the southeastern United States

   Alligator sinensis, Chinese alligator

   small alligator of the Yangtze valley of China having unwebbed digits

   Caiman sclerops, spectacled caiman

   caiman with bony ridges about the eyes; found from southern Mexico to Argentina

   type of:

   diapsid, diapsid reptile

   reptile having a pair of openings in the skull behind each eye