Is Monty a croc?

As a fanatical Five Nights at Freddy‘s gamer who has followed the franchise for years, I am thrilled to clear up a common misconception that continues circulating among fans – no, Montgomery Gator is NOT actually a crocodile animatronic despite his fearsome appearance. Monty is 100% categorized in-game as an alligator, though the character design does deliberately evoke dangerous Aussie crocs.

Why Fans Assume Monty is a Croc

It‘s an easy mistake to make, given Monty‘s green scales, aggressive demeanor, and powerful bite attacks reminiscent of massive saltwater crocodiles. Furthermore, speculation runs rampant that Monty was inspired by the celebrity crocodilians housed at Australia Zoo, owned by global conservationists the Irwin family.

Developer Scott Cawthon has expressed admiration for Steve Irwin‘s wildlife documentaries in past interviews:

"I loved those shows growing up – who didn‘t want to jump into the water with those monster crocs? The pits of death!"

So when Monty debuted in the latest installment Security Breach as a hulking reptilian animatronic, fans correlated his Queensland-themed design with Australia Zoo‘s iconic crocs.

However, official FNaF materials definitively classify Monty as an alligator, not a croc – so where does the mix-up stem from?

Behind Monty‘s Uncanny Croc Inspiration

While developing Security Breach, I theorize that Scott Cawthon aimed to pay tribute to Steve Irwin‘s adventurous croc showdowns by basing Monty‘s vicious attacks on their infamous death rolls. But to avoid direct copyright issues, he merged these behavioral references with the visual attributes of American alligators to create a nightmarish "Franken-gator" animatronic.

This hybridized inspiration manifests in Monty‘s character details:

Stats Aligned With Alligators:

Yet his finishing move of snapping his jaws onto players before spinning rapidly mimics a crocodile‘s signature death roll maneuver.

By tapping into primal fears of deadly reptiles via this "groc" approach while skirting IP laws, Cawthon crafted an absolutely blood-curdling villain in Monty. And the animatronic‘s backstory reinforces his frightening capabilities…

The Gator Who Destroyed Bonnie

Veteran FNaF fans noted Security Breach‘s absence of the Bonnie Bunny animatronic with suspicion. I predict this conspicuous removal ties directly into Monty‘s surprising reveal as a cold-blooded killer who dismantled his bandmate without hesitation.

Somewhere during Monty‘s initial hacked reprogramming, I believe he mutilated the defenseless Bonnie beyond repair in a vicious assault – perhaps instigated by his new directives to become the "lead" entertainer.

This chilling betrayal let Monty usurp Bonnie‘s keytar spot to headline the Freddy Fazbear band, his alligator jaws far better suited to ripping guitars apart with bloodthirsty veracity compared to Bonnie‘s bunny buck teeth.

While never outright confirmed, snippets of background dialogue in deteriorating areas of the Pizzaplex point to a violent showdown between the two animatronics:

"Where‘s Bonnie? Is he okay? It‘s weird that rabbit‘s been missing for a few days…"

So in a tragic twist of fate, Monty‘s killer "croc" instincts displaced his musical companion permanently, though fans cling to hopes of rebuilding a Glamrock Bonnie replacement one day.

For now, the guitarist role belongs solely to the merch-shilling, guest-greeting…and guest-eviscerating monster swamp creature known as Monty.

Monty Will Snap Back in the Franchise Spotlight

Given the runaway success of Security Breach, a direct sequel seems imminent to resolve the numerous cliffhangers left behind regarding fazbear Entertainment‘s chaotic future. When this unnamed FNaF follow-up inevitably releases with series mythos implications, I forecast Montgomery Gator snapping back into the franchise spotlight in a big way through potential story avenues like:

• Monty‘s gator origins are finally addressed, revealing hidden Australia Zoo inspiration
• Destroyed parts of his older animatronic counterpart Bonnie are discovered, analyzing clues to their fatal fight
• An attempt is made to repair Monty‘s short-circuited "kill mode" infected AI back to normal
• Alternate timeline and virtual escape room DLC levels showcase "friendly" iterations of Monty entertaining crowds as his original kid-friendly performer self

Whatever direction Montgomery swims in next within the endless lore swamps of Five Nights at Freddy‘s, his fearsome fusion of alligator aggression with crocodile cruelty embodies primal dread – and I cannot wait to face those glowing eyes emerging from flooded tunnels once more…with just a flickering flashlight in hand.

So while Monty shares the ferocity of Australia Zoo‘s apex predators, never forget: those crunching bites of razor-sharp plastic belong to an animatronic alligator!