Crocodiles (subfamily Crocodylinae) or true crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodylinae, all of whose members are considered true crocodiles, is classified as a biological subfamily. A broader sense of the term crocodile, Crocodylidae that includes Tomistoma, is not used in this article. The term crocodile here applies only to the species within the subfamily of Crocodylinae. The term is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes Tomistoma, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae), the gharials (family Gavialidae), and all other living and fossil Crocodylomorpha.

Crocodile (also read as Shendjw) is the provisional name of a predynastic ruler, who might have ruled during the late Naqada III epoch. But since the alleged ink inscriptions showing his name are drawn very sloppy, the reading and thus whole existence of king "Crocodile" are highly disputed. His tomb is unknown.

Name sources

The proposed existence of Crocodile is based on Gunter Dreyer's and Edwin van den Brink essays. They are convinced that Crocodile was a local king who ruled at the region of Tarkhan. According to Dreyer, Crocodile's name appears in black ink inscriptions on burnt earthen jars and on several seal impressions found in tomb TT 1549 at Tarkhan and tomb B-414 at Abydos. He sees a crawling crocodile and a rope curl beneath it and reads Shendjw ("the subduer"). Van den Brink thinks alike and reads Shendjw, too, but sees only a large rope curl sign inside the serekh.

Reign and datation

Almost nothing is known about Crocodile's reign. If he existed, he might have had his capital at Tarkhan, where his proposed tomb was excavated. Dreyer places him in a time shortly before the kings Iry-Hor, Ka and Narmer. He points to guiding inscriptions on the jars mentioning a Hen-mehw ("brought from Lower Egypt"). This specific diction of designations of origin is archaeologically proven for the time before three mentioned kings, from king Ka onward, it was Inj-mehw (with the same meaning).

Crocodile is a 1979–1980 Thai monster film directed by Sompote Sands.

Plot

Tony Akom (Nat Puvani) and John Stromm (Min Oo) are two doctors working at Bangkok. Though Tony is happily married and John is engaged, their spouses are often bitter at them since both doctors overwork, frequently leaving home at night to attend the hospital. One weekend, as both couples vacation in Pattaya, the women are mysteriously killed in the water. After examining their remains and going through newspaper articles, Tony discovers the killer is a giant crocodile, possibly mutated by recent atomic bomb testings in the ocean. Swearing revenge on the creature, Tony and John enlist the help of fisherman Tanaka (Manop Asavatep), who lends his boat to pursue the monster.

After the crocodile demolishes a riverside village, authorities set an enormous underwater trap for it, but the plan ultimately fails. Tony, John and Tanaka head to the sea, attempting to lure the crocodile into their path by baiting him with chemical compounds. They are joined in the search by Peter, a photographer who wants to get the scoop on the crocodile's destruction. That night, the crocodile attacks their boat, killing Tanaka. Tony and John open fire at the creature, wounding it, but the crocodile retaliates, crashing into the ship and causing it to sink. John is killed in the process, while Peter straps himself with dynamite and swims into the crocodile's jaws. The monster is seemingly destroyed in a giant explosion, presumably killing all on board.