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Crocodilia

                                         FACTS

! All crocodilians have thecodont dentition (teeth set in bony sockets), but unlike mammals, they replace their teeth throughout life (though not in extreme old age). Juvenile crocodilians replace teeth with larger ones at a rate as high as one new tooth per socket every month.

! Like mammals and birds and unlike other reptiles, crocodilians have four-chambered hearts

! Like all reptiles, crocodilians have relatively small brains, but they are more advanced than in other reptiles

! The skin is covered with scales composed of the protein keratin (the same protein that forms hooves, horns, feathers, hair, claws, and nails in other tetrapods), which are shed individually. On the head, the skin is actually fused to the bones of the skull.

! They are extremely protective of their nests and young, and will not hesitate to attack intruders

! A female guards the nursery area in the water, and if the young are alarmed, they will climb onto her back for safety

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