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Glossary - Alligators and Crocodiles Printer-Friendly Version

*Definitions adapted from:

  • Perry, P. The Crocodilians: Reminders of the Age of Dinosaurs. Franklin Watts a Division of Grolier Publishing, 1997
  • Staub, F. Alligators. Lerner Publications Company, 1995
  • archosaur- a group of reptiles that includes dinosaurs and crocodilians

  • carnivores- animals that eat flesh or meat

  • clutch- a nest of eggs

  • Cenozoic Era- 65 million years ago to present; era associated with the development of, and domination by, mammals

  • crocodilian - a group of reptiles that includes alligators and caimans, gavials, and crocodiles

  • ectotherm- a cold-blooded animal; an animal that has a body temperature that approximates the surrounding environment

  • egg tooth- a hard spike on the tip of the jaw of a baby alligator
  • endotherm- a warm-blooded animal; an animal that has a internally regulated body
    temperature

  • estivation- to pass the summer in a resting state

  • femur- a bone of the leg situated between the pelvis and knee in human beings, or a functionally similar bone in the leg or hind limb of a vertebrate animal; It is the largest and strongest bone in the body (also called thighbone).

  • fibula- the outer and narrower of two bones of the human lower leg, extending from the knee to the ankle, or the corresponding bone in the hind leg of an animal

  • fossil- the remains of a living thing, or direct evidence of its presence, preserved in rocks; usually only hard parts such as bones, teeth, and shells are preserved by burial or chemical change.

  • hatchlings- baby animals that have just hatched from eggs

  • hibernate- to pass the winter in a resting state

  • herbivore- plant-eating animal

  • humerus- the long bone of the arm or forelimb, extending from the shoulder to the elbow

  • index fossils- a fossil that provides precise correlation because it has recognizable unique features; a fossil that has a wide distribution and present in the geologic record for only a limited time.

  • invertebrate- an animal that has no backbone; the vast majority of animals are invertebrates.

  • Jurassic Period- second period of the Mesozoic Era; time period during which Pangea began to drift apart. "Jurassic" comes from fossil-bearing limestone rocks found in Europe's Jura Mountains

  • mammals- animals with backbones that have hair, give live birth, and feed their young milk

  • Mesozoic Era - 248-65 million years ago; geologic time period during which dinosaurs lived; composed of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods

  • metacarpals- any of the five bones between the fingers and the wrist

  • metatarsals- any of the five bones between the toes and the ankle

  • nocturnal- active at night

  • ornithischians- "bird-hipped" dinosaurs with a hip structure in which the two lower bones on each side lie parallel; all ornithischians were plant eaters

  • paleontologist- a scientist who studies fossils and organisms in ancient times by determining their lifestyles and relationship to other organisms

  • Paleozoic Era- 540-248 million years ago

  • pelvic girdle- plate-shaped bones for limb attachment

  • phalanges- bone of a finger or toe

  • predators- animals that hunt other animals for food

  • prey- an animal captured for food

  • protosuchian- the earliest ancestor of the crocodilians

  • radius- one of two forearm bones; the other is the ulna

  • reptile- a class of animals that includes crocodilians as well as turtles, snakes, and lizards

  • saurischians- "lizard-hipped" dinosaurs with a hip structure in which the two lower bones on each side point in opposite directions

  • scapula- either of two large, flat, triangular bones forming the back part of the shoulder (also called shoulder blade).

  • skeleton- the internal structure composed of bone and cartilage that protects and supports the soft organs, tissues, and other parts of a vertebrate organism

  • skull- the bony framework of the head of vertebrates that contains the brain, jaws, and teeth

  • tarsal bones- any of the seven small bones of the human ankle

  • tibia- the inner and larger of the two bones of the lower human leg, extending from the knee to the ankle, or a corresponding bone in other vertebrates (also called shinbone).

  • Triassic Period- first period of the Mesozoic Era; time period when dinosaurs first evolved; "Triassic" comes from Latin, "trias" describing three particular rock layers in Germany

  • ulna- bone extending from the elbow to the wrist on the side opposite to the thumb in human beings, or the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

  • vertebrae- bones that form the backbone vertebrate; an animal with a backbone

  • wetlands- land areas with lots of moisture

 

 
 
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