In my 'Pic of the Week' this week, I showed our first Costa Rican wildlife encounter. A crocodile, basking on the banks of the Tortuguero River. This came as a bit of a surprise to me; I always thought there are no crocodiles in America; if you see a crocodile in America, it's an alligator. You can tell, because when an alligator's jaws are closed, you can't see any teeth.
That's not true … although there are no crocodiles in the US (unless you're at the zoo, and it says 'Crocodile' on the sign on the enclosure.) There are some in Central and South America, a species known, not unnaturally, as the American Crocodile.
But, there's also another species of saurian, called a caiman. Round here, they have the Spectacled Caiman. You can usually tell the difference by the markings … if you get close enough, which I have no intention of doing. Alligator, crocodile or caiman, if it shows any sign of wanting to inhabit the same sector of the hydrosphere as me … I shall be halfway up the nearest mountain before you can say Jascha Rubenstein !!
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