The Fraternity of Crocodiles

The Fraternity of Crocodiles (debut: Jan. 3, 2005) from Pearls Before Swine is usually involved in various (failed) attempts to eat Zebra. The fraternity name is "Zeeba Zeeba Eata" (although one of them called it "Zeta, Zeta, Epsilon" in a botched attempt to fool their suspicious neighbor). The crocodiles are dimwitted and poor hunters (they believe they are hunting prey when they catch plastic flamingos, garden gnomes or carved tofu cows) who usually need to go to the Safeway supermarket or order fast food to eat (which they call Zeeba Nuggets). This may be an unintentional irony on Pastis' part, as crocodiles are largely considered among the most intelligent of the reptile species. At least two have girlfriends or are married, and at least one (Larry) has a son, Billy. Billy is far more intelligent than his father and he is also a pacifist and a vegetarian, similar to the relationship between the Warner Bros. cartoon characters Sylvester the Cat and his son, Sylvester Junior. At one point, Billy started dating Zebra's niece, a young female zebra named Joy. His dad doesn't yet understand the concept of going out with food and when he sees the two kissing he thinks Billy is killing Joy in a very weird way.

The crocodiles include Bob, Floyd, Fred, Frank, Jimmy, Jojo, and Larry. The crocodiles are frequently killed in the continuity of the strip; some are brought back without explanation, while others are brought in as replacements. A crocodile named Biff, described by Pastis as "the dumbest of all the crocodiles", was unable to fend for himself, so Pastis, in self-reflexive strips, portrays himself as a character who must take care of him. Biff was later eaten by a poodle, but brought back on Nov. 12, 2006.

The male crocodiles, when talking, are often saying words in phonetical style, such as "goowoo" (guru), "nome" (gnome), and "meester" (mister). They also say "me" instead of "I", and refer to themselves as "crockydiles." The male crocodile's opening line often is "Hulllooooo Zeeba neighba, leesten." Female crocodiles, Billy, and various "Smart Guy" crocodiles speak normally, due to their intellect.

After many failed attempts, the Crocodiles captured Zebra (along with Jeffy from Family Circus) in September 2007. Jeffy convinced them to let him go; Zebra was saved on September 15, 2007 when Duck came out of the swamp with a Rocket launcher and scared the Crocodiles away.