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How to fold an origami crocodile

Fold a strip in half, reverse-fold both ends back and cut out four stubby legs. Swing out the long snout and tail, fold up a white row of teeth and glue on a zigzag of back scutes.

You need: Half a 15 cm green square (15 x 7.5 cm), a 9.5 x 1.1 cm dark green strip; scissors, a ruler and glue. Hard, 20 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, long sides at the top and bottom. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold at the top is the crocodile's back.
  2. Crease the legs. Fold the left end over on an upright crease 7.4 cm from the left edge, and the right end behind on one 5 cm from the right edge.
  3. Open them. Unfold both ends again. The two creases mark the inside edges of the legs.
  4. Tail back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body on an upright crease 6 cm from the left edge. Each layer wraps round the outside.
  5. Cut the tail. Cut up the tail fold, leaving its top 1.5 cm. Cut the tail flap to a point, from the end of that cut to its tip on the top fold.
  6. Tail out. Outside-reverse-fold the tail out on a crease from its top corner, so the long tail stretches out behind, level with the back.
  7. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body the same way, on a crease 3.6 cm from the right edge.
  8. Cut the head. Cut up the head fold, leaving its top 1.6 cm. Taper the head flap from there to 8 mm deep at its tip.
  9. Snout out. Outside-reverse-fold the head out the same way, from its top corner, so the long snout points forward.
  10. Cut the legs. Cut up both leg creases to 2.5 cm below the back and cut the belly between them in a shallow curve. Slant each leg's inside edge out 7 mm at the foot.
  11. Fold up the teeth. Fold the bottom edge of the head up on each side, from nothing at the neck to 3 mm at the snout, so a white band shows along the mouth.
  12. Scutes: new sheet. Set the crocodile aside. Lay the 9.5 x 1.1 cm dark green strip coloured side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  13. Scutes: fold in half. Fold the right end over onto the left end.
  14. Scutes: again. Fold the right end over to the left end again.
  15. Scutes: and again. And once more, so it is 1.2 cm wide and eight layers thick. Press it flat.
  16. Scutes: snip a peak. Cut a slant off each top corner, from the middle of the top edge down to each side 5.5 mm below the top.
  17. Scutes: open. Unfold the last fold.
  18. Scutes: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  19. Scutes: open it out. Unfold the first fold. Eight sharp scutes stand in a row!
  20. Glue on the scutes. Glue the scutes behind the back, spikes up, from the middle of the tail to the neck.

Snap!

Draw a bulging eye and a nostril on each side, colour gaps between the teeth, and draw toes on the feet.

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