Crocodile Stitch

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Layered scales built from stacked double crochets worked around a foundation of V-stitches, resembling reptile scales.

Work a foundation row of V-stitches — double crochet, chain 1, double crochet into the same stitch, skipping a stitch between each — these form the "spine" the scales will be worked around.
Turn your work. For the first scale, work 5 double crochet stitches down one side of a V-stitch post, from top to bottom, then 5 more double crochet stitches back up the other side of the same V — this forms one complete scale.
Skip to the next V-stitch and repeat, working a scale around each one across the row.
For the second row of scales, work a new row of V-stitches into the chain-1 spaces between the first row's scales, then work another tier of scales around those, offsetting each scale to sit in the gap between the scales below.

Every scale is worked around the post of a V-stitch rather than into stitches directly — think of the V-stitches as a hidden scaffold the visible scales wrap around.
Offsetting each new tier of scales to nestle between the ones below is what creates the overlapping, reptilian-scale look the stitch is named for.
This is a yarn-hungry, slow-working stitch — a small swatch goes a long way toward understanding the rhythm before committing to a full project.