What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? There are many differences, including their color, size, snout shape, where they live, behavior, the strength of their bite, and many more.
Both crocodiles and alligators come from the family crocodilian. They appeared about 94 million years ago and have a thick scaly skin. They mostly live in water and are very good swimmers. However, they can move on land as well. They are generally slow, but they can sprint at 14 km/h for short bursts. They are not amphibians, but they can hold their breath underwater for between 15 minutes and two hours. They are related to birds, but they are cold-blooded. They are carnivores but have a very low metabolic rate, so they can survive on one large meal for months. An adult crocodile can survive for half a year without eating. The smallest species of crocodilian are about 1 meter long and the largest species, the saltwater crocodile, grow up to 6 meters long and weigh 1.5 tons. Alligators and crocodiles have a lot of similarities, but they also have several differences. They diverged as a species about 80 million years ago. Incidentally, both of their names mean “lizard”. “Crocodile” comes from the Ancient Greek, krokodilos, which meant “lizard”. And “alligator” comes from the Spanish el lagarto, which meant “the lizard”.
So, how are crocodiles and alligators different? The first difference is where they live. There are 18 different species of crocodile, and they are found in warm, tropical areas. They cannot handle the cold as well as alligators can. Crocodiles can be found in Central America (as far south as Colombia and as far north as southern Florida), central Africa, India, southern Asia, and all the way down to northern Australia. There are only two species of alligator, and they live in the southeastern United States and eastern China. If you are not in either of those two areas, then you are looking at a crocodile.
Alligators and crocodiles also have a different color. Alligators are black or dark olive-brown on top and have a cream-colored underside. Crocodiles are usually green, grey, black or brown. They usually have stripes or a mottled pattern. This coloration shows where they live and how they hunt. Crocodiles tend to live in open water or in water with a lot more algae. Their colors help them blend in. Alligators stay closer to the banks of rivers and lakes, and their colors help them blend into the mud and lakebed.
The two animals vary in size and aggression as well. Crocodiles are much larger than alligators. Crocodiles are also much more aggressive than alligators. This is probably because their size allows them to be. Both alligators and crocodiles are apex predators, but crocodiles are able to catch much larger prey. Alligators have been known to attack bears and panthers, but they are more likely to attack smaller and easier prey. Crocodiles will attack anything if it comes close enough to the water.
Crocodiles and alligators have a different snout shape. Alligators have a U-shaped snout, and their upper jaw is larger than their lower jaw, so you can only see their top teeth when their jaws are shut. Crocodiles have a pointed V-shaped snout, and their jaws are pretty much the same size, so you can see most of their teeth when their mouths are shut. They both have strong jaws, but crocodiles have a greater bite force. In fact, the Australian saltwater crocodile has the strongest bite of any animal. They have strong hard muscles on either side of their jaws that bring their jaws together with a force of 1,678 kg. However, all of their muscles are concentrated on bringing the jaws closed and they have very few muscles to open the jaw, which is why you can easily duct tape a crocodile’s mouth closed.
Alligators have webbed feet and crocodiles do not. This makes alligators faster swimmers than crocodiles. However, crocodiles have longer bones in their legs, so they are able to raise their bodies up when they run on land. Crocodiles can run on land with their bodies touching the ground, or they can lift their bodies up and run. Alligators can only run with their bodies close to the ground.
A final difference between alligators and crocodiles is that crocodiles tend to live longer. Alligators usually live between 30 and 50 years, but crocodiles can live up to 100 years. This is probably because of their size. In nature, larger animals tend to live longer than smaller animals. And this is what I learned today.
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-crocodlie-lying-on-ground-60644/
Sources
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120316093427.htm
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/alligator-vs-crocodile-key-differences
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator
https://www.everythingreptiles.com/alligator-vs-crocodile/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24579-6
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-alligators-and-crocodiles
http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/Temperature-Regulation.html
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