I just found this news article from an Illinois newspaper. Please note one key quote in the piece: "Other species, like the Dwarf Caiman, however, are 'pure evil,' he warned. 'They think everyone is evil and they will charge after you and bite you.'"

JOLIET -- Alligators and crocodiles are a lot like people.

They are intelligent, unique in appearance, have their own personalities and live just about as long.

They also appear to be good pets. They come when they are called, will listen to their handlers and can understand simple words.

But that 6-inch baby alligator, now content in its aquarium cage, will be six feet long in six years, and need a room of its own. That's when these pet owners call Bob Bavirsha, a licensed rescuer with the Chicago Herpetological Society.

"Would you keep a horse in your condo?" he asked the group of kids and parents who attended his recent afternoon program at the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

It's illegal to keep gators and crocs as pets in Illinois because they get so big and can become so dangerous, Bavirsha said.

With 80 pointed teeth and jaws snapping 1,000 pounds of pressure, "they have evolved into a perfect killing machine. They are predators and will eat anything they can overtake. Once they are big enough, they have no natural enemies," he said.

"It's important to be nice and friendly to them and they will be nice and friendly to you."

Other species, like the Dwarf Caiman, however, are "pure evil," he warned. "They think everyone is evil and they will charge after you and bite you."

Bavirsha brought several of his scaly friends, in all shapes, sizes and personalities to the Sugar Creek Administration Center.

Many youngsters were leery of interacting with the larger crocodilians, despite their ability to be "nice and friendly."

Joey Wegerson, 7, of Frankfort stayed close to his parents when Bavirsha wrestled with a restless alligator.

The eyelash gecko leapt onto 5-year-old Ben Gerl who responded by jumping himself. "It's like a sticky toed frog," he said of the way the tiny creature clung to him.

Jake Bugajski grinned as wide as a crocodile, with a gecko and a Bearded Dragon perched on each of his shoulders. Gratefully, the small dragon never puffed out its spiky beard, its main defense mechanism for which it is named.

Both would make good pets, because they don't get very large, Bavirsha said.

According to Jonathan Wegerson, 10, the iguana "sorta hurts but kinda tickles. You never know when it's going to jump," he said.

The Wegerson family has a few reptilian pets already, including a salamander, a frog, toads and snapping turtles, which they "take very good care of," said his older brother, Isaac. The boys and their parents came to learn even more about these creatures and to get an up close and personal look at the alligators and crocodiles.

Although both creatures are "crocodilians," there are ways to tell them apart, Bavirsha said.

Think A for apple and alligator, because its snout is big and round. Think C for carrot and crocodile, which has a long, slender nose, that comes to a point, Bavirsha simply explained.

"I like this kind of stuff," Isaac said. "I liked that they really gave us an education, in case we see one."