Crocs and Gators

Crocs and Gators written by Keira Fried.

《鳄鱼与短吻鳄》，作者：凯拉·弗里德。

Never smile at a crocodile. That's what the song from the movie Peter Pan says. After all, one bit off Captain Hook's hand. Everyone thinks that crocodiles are fierce animals. And in fact, they are.

永远别对着鳄鱼笑哦。 这是电影《彼得·潘》里的插曲唱的内容。 毕竟呀，有只鳄鱼咬掉了胡克船长的手。 所有人都觉得鳄鱼是非常凶猛的动物。 而事实上，它们确实很凶猛。

Crocodiles and alligators, like snakes, turtles, and lizards, are reptiles. They are members of a group of reptiles called crocodilians. Crocodilians have been on Earth since the age of dinosaurs. They even look a little like some of the dinosaurs from long ago.

鳄鱼和短吻鳄和蛇、乌龟、蜥蜴一样，都属于爬行动物。 它们是一类叫做鳄目类的爬行动物的成员。 鳄目类动物从恐龙时代就已经生活在地球上了。 它们甚至长得有点像很久以前的某些恐龙哦。

Crocodilians spend time on land and in water. They use lungs to breathe. They have thick, scaly skin. Their body temperature does not stay the same like yours does. Instead, it changes with the temperature of the air and water around them. If it is too hot, these reptiles seek cool, shady places.

鳄目类动物既能在陆地上活动，也能在水里生活。 它们靠肺来呼吸。 它们的皮肤厚厚的，长有鳞片。 它们的体温不像我们人类的体温一样能保持恒定。 相反，它们的体温会随着周围空气和水的温度变化而改变。 如果天气太热，这些爬行动物就会去找阴凉凉爽的地方待着。

Crocodilians live mostly in shallow water, swamps, and slow rivers. Most live in freshwater. But there are saltwater crocodiles, too. In fact, the saltwater crocodile may be the biggest reptile. Some reach lengths of over 7 meters, 23 feet.

鳄目类动物大多生活在浅水区、沼泽和流速缓慢的河流里。 大多数鳄目类动物都生活在淡水里。 不过也有生活在咸水里的鳄鱼哦。 其实呀，咸水鳄说不定是世界上体型最大的爬行动物呢。 有些咸水鳄的身长能超过7米，也就是23英尺。

All crocodilians have short legs and long bodies and tails. The four kinds of crocodilians have different kinds of jaws and teeth. All of them have sharp teeth. Let's meet the different kinds of crocodilians.

所有的鳄目类动物都长着短腿、长长的身体和尾巴。 四种鳄目类动物的颌骨和牙齿的形态都不一样。 它们都长着尖利的牙齿。咱们一起来认识一下不同种类的鳄目类动物吧。