alligatorid

alligatorid

English

An alligatorid (Caiman crocodilus)

Noun

alligatorid (plural alligatorids)

1. (zoology) Any reptile of the family Alligatoridae; a caiman or alligator.
   • 1956, Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, Volume 31, page 554,

     This species is large compared with known Eocene alligatorids, although its character states present a mosaic of resemblances to earlier and later alligatorids.

   • 1989, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Crocodiles: Their Ecology, Management, and Conservation‎, page 24:

     Although most alligatorids have ventral osteoderms, the American alligator usually has only poorly developed single osteoderms in the pectoral and midventral regions, if at all (Fig. 6C and D).

   • 2009, S. Blair Hedges, Sudhir Kumar, The timetree of life‎, →ISBN, page 403:

     The oldest alligatorid, Navajosuchus mooki, is from the lowermost Paleocene (66-62 Ma).

Hyponyms

• (species of Alligatoridae): alligator, caiman

Translations

any reptile of the family Alligatoridae

Portuguese: aligatorídeo m