Or the "is greater than" (>) is a crocodile's mouth, and "is less than" (<) is a bird's beak. The bird eats smaller food than an crocodile eats, and the crocodile eats bigger food than the bird eats.
Or maybe as snork-eater-eaters
http://wharble.com/sites/default/files/Snork-Eater_Eater.jpg
1 < 2
4 > 1
If they're eating less, they're not happy crocodiles.