crocodilelike

Crocodilelike is an adjective used in biology and paleontology to describe organisms or features that resemble crocodiles or the broader crocodilian lineage in appearance or ecology. It is a descriptive term rather than a formal taxonomic ranking and can apply to living species with crocodile-like traits or to extinct crocodyliforms and other archosaurs that show convergent similarity to modern crocodiles.

Common crocodilelike traits include an elongated snout, robust jaws with conical teeth, a broad, laterally compressed body, and thick scaly skin often with osteoderms. Many crocodilelike forms also have eyes and nostrils positioned high on the skull, enabling observations and breathing while largely submerged, and a powerful tail used for propulsion in water. Because similar morphology can arise in separate lineages through convergent evolution, a crocodilelike appearance does not necessarily indicate close genetic relatedness to true crocodiles.

In paleontological contexts, crocodilelike describes fossil crocodyliforms and other archosaurs that resemble crocodiles in form and ecology but may lie outside the crown group Crocodylia. Examples include various early crocodyliforms and certain marine lineages whose skulls and skeletons show crocodilelike characteristics. The term helps convey morphology and lifestyle without making specific claims about precise evolutionary relationships.