Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Alligator and Crocodile Information
Crocodilians consist of alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gavials. Crocodilians have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. All members of this group have short walking legs and a powerful tail. They also have incredible powerful jaws with many sharp teeth. They also posses scales which often form "plates" that give them their armored appearance.
Crocodilians have excellent eyesight and can see well during the day as well as at night. they also posses a nictitating membrane which is a clear membrane or "third eyelid" which protects the eye while swimming or hunting. Crocodilians also posses a palatal valve which seals the back of the throat to prevent water from being swallowed while underwater.
All crocodilians are excellent swimmers. They have webbed feet and will use their tail to propel themselves through the water. They are also able to move on land and can even gallop for short distances at unexpected speeds.
There are three groups of crocodilians. The alligators and caimans, crocodiles, and gavials. Alligators have a rounded snout and do not show any lower teeth when their mouth is closed. There are only two types of alligators, the American Alligator and the Chinese Alligator. Caimans may not always have a rounded snout but they never show any lower teeth when the jaw is closed. All caimans can be found in Central and South America.
Crocodiles have a "V" shaped jaw and will have the fourth lower tooth exposed when their jaw is closed. They can be found in many parts of the world including the Americas, Africa, Australia and Asia. This group contains the largest living crocodilian, the Salt Water Crocodile.
The Indian gharial is the last living species of gavial and can only be found in six river systems in and around India. They can be identified by their long snout.
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Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant