Something glides slowly through the water barely making a ripple It is well hidden and looks like a bumpy drifting log Two eyes and a snout appear above the water It is an alligator or a crocodile
Alligators and crocodiles are members of a group of reptiles called crocodilians krok uh DILL ee ans They are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs and the world's largest reptiles ALLIGATOR CROCODILE All reptiles are cold blooded animals In order to survive they must keep their body temperature from getting too hot or too cold They do this by moving to a cooler or a warmer place
According to paleontologists pay lee on TOL o jists alligators crocodiles and dinosaurs lived on Earth about 230 million years ago About 65 million years ago dinosaurs became extinct but alligators and crocodiles continued to live PALEONTOLOGISTS are scientists who learn about ancient life by studying fossils the remains of a plant or animal that lived at least ten thousand years ago EXTINCT means no longer in existence
