An adult crocodile has between 64 and 80 teeth. All crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, and caimans) have a similar tooth count – the upper jaw holds 64 to 68 teeth and the lower jaw has between 60 and 66 teeth, depending on the species. They don’t have canines or incisors as these are only found in mammals. The closest structure crocodilians have to them is their fourth tooth, which fits in between the first and second premolar.

Crocodiles are members of the order Crocodilia, a group of crocodiles and close relatives. All members have teeth in the upper and lower jaws connected by a flexible ligament, allowing them to be used together when capturing prey or tearing off the flesh.

The teeth of crocodilians are conical (cone-shaped) with flattened surfaces on top, which make them especially suitable for crushing and tearing prey. Some of these teeth are shaped like pointed crescents, some with serrated cutting edges like steak knives, and others spoon-shaped. A series of 13 to 25 cone-shaped teeth (depending on the species) is located in each upper jaw half; the number of lower jaw teeth varies according to the species.

As crocodilians don’t have teeth in their upper jaws, they use their fourth tooth (from the back of the mouth) to catch hold of prey or tear it apart once captured. This is why some people call this tooth a ‘tear tooth’ while others might refer to it as a ‘spoon-shaped tooth.’

Baby crocodiles have only 20 teeth in total, all of which are small and pointed. The number gradually increases with age until adulthood.

Though crocodilians have a very efficient system for capturing prey and eating it, their teeth can wear down quite quickly, primarily if they feed on coarse-grain sand or gravel while ingesting it along with their prey. When this happens, crocodiles will rub their teeth against each other to sharpen them, or they may swallow small stones that naturally wear the teeth down evenly.

The average lifespan of crocodilians ranges between 40 and 50 years. They usually inhabit subtropical and tropical regions where the average temperature of the water is between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius. They are primarily found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, mangroves, and marshes, but some live in brackish or even marine waters.

Crocodiles lay hard-shelled eggs to reproduce; they are ovoviviparous unless the temperature is too low, in which case they need to resort to external fertilization when breeding. Depending on the species, they lay between 20 and 80 eggs, crocodiles that inhabit colder regions lay larger clutches than those in warmer climates. After 90 to 150 days, depending on the temperature and species, baby crocodiles hatch from their eggs.