TEARS FOR CROCODILIA

Seventy million years ago in what would become North America a monstrous thirty five foot long Cretaceous crocodile lurked on a marshy riverbank Springing suddenly its huge jaws trapped and crushed a juvenile hadrosaur Today the remains of that ancient crocodile are being painstakingly reconstructed in Colorado where naturalist Zach Fitzner continues his life long fascination with this amazing animal family In Tears for Crocodilia Evolution Ecology and the Disappearance of One of the World s Most Ancient Animals Fitzner tracks the evolution of crocodilians from prehistoric predators to modern endangered wildlife using his own experiences with these reptiles as a lens to understanding wildlife conservation and our relationship with the natural world Traveling the world to interact with crocodiles from observing alligators in a wildlife refuge in Texas and paddling a canoe in the Everglades searching for crocodiles to trekking the jungles in Nepal to find endangered gharials the author expresses a wonder in exploring these diverse ecosystems making a connection between crocodilians and the lands they live in As the story follows crocodilians it also illuminates their often complicated relationship with humans from crocodile cults in ancient Egypt to Am