Crocodile

Reaktion Animal Series.  In Crocodile, Dan Wylie tracks the 23 recognized crocodilian species across every continent bar Antarctica.  He explores the crocodile in myths, artworks, and literatures around the world, from Egypt and India, through Africa and Australia, to the Mayans and the Malaysians.  Wylie demonstrates that although crocodiles – more accurately, crocodilians, which include the alligators, caimans, and gharials – are most commonly associated with ferocity, repugnance, and deceit, they have surprisingly often been respected and revered in human history.  All but wiped out in the middle of the twentieth century by hunters and skin-traders, crocodilians are now making something of a comeback, though some species still verge on extinction.  As apex predators, they are today an increasingly important indicator of ecosystem health: Crocodile suggests that this magnificent animal is more than due for positive reassessment.