1969 Ogden Nash in Scholastic's Haunted House

Ogden Nash was playful, seemed to fixate on animals, and was wildly witty.

I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist.
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles."
And sent him off to tropical jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his loving bride,
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile,
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."