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Crocodilia

Frae Wikipedia, the free beuk o knawledge

Crocodilians
Temporal range: Late CretaceousHolocene 83.5–0 Ma
Clockwise frae tap-left: sautwatter crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), an gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
Scientific classification e
Kinrick: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Eusuchia
Order: Crocodylia
Owen, 1842
Subgroups
Crocodylia distribution on laund (green) an at sea (blue)

The Crocodilia (or Crocodylia) are an order o muckle reptiles. Thay are the closest livin relatives o birds, as the twa groups are the anly kent survivors o the Archosauria.[1] Members o the crocodilian tot group, the clade Pseudosuchia, appeared aboot 250 million years ago in the Early Triassic period, an exhibitit a wide diversity o furms durin the Mesozoic era.

The order Crocodilia includes the true crocodiles (faimily Crocodylidae), the alligators an caimans (faimily Alligatoridae) an the gharials (faimily Gavialidae). Altho the term 'crocodiles' is sometimes uised tae refer tae aw o these, a less ambiguous vernacular term for this groop is 'crocodilians'.

References

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  1. "ADW: Crocodilia: Information". Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu. Archived frae the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 5 Apryle 2009.