''Crocodilurus'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

genus consisting of one

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, ''Crocodilurus amazonicus'', belonging to the family

Teiidae Teiidae is a family of lacertoidean lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnophthalmidae, Gymnopthalmidae, and ...

(

tegu Tegu is a common name of a number of species of lizards that belong to the families Teiidae and Gymnophthalmidae. Tegus are native to Central and South America. They occupy a variety of habitats and are known for their large size and predato ...

s, ameivas and whiptails). Its common name is the crocodile tegu, due to its appearance and fondness for water, and is locally known as the ''jacarerana''. This

semi-aquatic In biology, being semi-aquatic refers to various macroorganisms that live regularly in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. When referring to animals, the term describes those that actively spend part of their daily time in water (in ...

, predatory lizard has a flattened, paddle-like tail, enabling it to swim with ease. Also it has a red coloration on its tail

Figurative name

The crocodile

has no close relation to

crocodilian Crocodilia () is an Order (biology), order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorp ...

s. The name ''Crocodilurus amazonicus'' ("Amazonian little crocodile") is only an analogy: It is a predatory reptile well adapted to living and hunting in water.

Distribution

''C. amazonicus'' is found in the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

and the

Guiana Shield The Guiana Shield (; ; ; ) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. The higher elevations on ...

in South America.

Diet

''C. amazonicus'' preys upon

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

s, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.

References

External links

* Teiidae Monotypic lizard genera Lizards of Brazil Reptiles of Colombia Reptiles of French Guiana Reptiles of Peru Reptiles of Venezuela Taxa named by Johann Baptist von Spix Reptiles described in 1825 {{Teiidae-stub

Figurative name

Distribution

Diet

References

Further reading

External links