Vom Drachen zum Krokodil -- Ein illustriertes Feuilleton -- Anmerkungen zu frühen Krokodilen in einigen nicht englischsprachigen Teilen Europas -- (Teil I).

Although recent crocodiles have never played a role in Europe, they are of historical importance. The following vignettes are intended to illustrate some of them. This essay is not about presenting illustrations of the first descriptions of crocodiles, but I would like to show the contemporary handling of the strange creature crocodile. The importance of the Nile Crocodiles in the history of ancient Egypt and in the Napoleonic campaigns to Egypt are expressly excluded here. On the one hand, they personified evil, the beast that had to be slain or stabbed. on the other hand, the crocodiles became souvenirs for pilgrims, adventurers and emigrants and are thus directly related to the colonization of foreign countries. In sacred buildings, dried crocodile skins or stuffed crocodiles were displayed in a visible place as a symbol of evil or hung on chains from the ceiling. In cabinets of wonder or nature [Wunderkammern], the crocodiles also had a positive influence on natural science. At fairs, stuffed or live crocodiles satisfied our ancestors' desire to see exotic creatures. With the beginning of scheduled ship traffic, an increasing number of strange, unknown reptiles started to arrive at the ports of London, Amsterdam and later Hamburg. There animal dealers started to offer their exotics to private persons, zoological gardens and menageries. This article is also intended to show, with all due respect, that the crocodiles per se are not bloodthirsty beasts that are to be destroyed by any means possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]