What is the difference between the crocodiles and alligators?

Answer 1

I'm starting at the nose, working my way back after a quick overview on coloration and range...

There are only two types of alligator, the American alligator and the Chinese alligator.

Including caimans and gavials, there are 21 species of crocodile, found in tropical waters worldwide.

Alligators are charcoal grey to black with yellowish bands, crocs can be anywhere from olive drab to golden khaki.

Alligators have a broad rounded snout, appear to have an overbite (teeth on the bottom jaw fit into sockets behind the teeth of the upper jaw). Alligator teeth are conical and spikelike. Alligators nostrils sit on two nasal discs.

Crocodiles have more slender, narrow snouts with bottom teeth visible (most prominently the fourth tooth from front, sometimes sticking well above the top of the upper jaw depending on species). Their teeth are dagger shaped, and they have a single nasal disc with both nostrils on it.

The inside of an alligator's mouth is an almond color, the inside of a croc's mouth is orangish.

The osteoderms (or scutes or "bumps" if you want to be completely unscientific about it.) on an alligator's back are in straight rows, and do not spill down onto it's sides. Croc's scutes are more pronounced, not as neatly ordered, and some species of crocodiles have osteoderms all the way into the belly skin.

Crocs have more webbing on their back feet than alligators.

Comparing tail scutes, picture a '55 Chevrolet and a '57 Chevrolet. The '55 is a gator, the '57 is a croc, much more pronounced tail fins.

Most, but not all crocodiles attain larger sizes than alligators.

Crocodiles are responsible for many more human fatalities than alligators (compare 25 human fatalities from gators in 50 years in Florida to 300 people a year on average from Nile Crocs in Africa.)

Answer 2

1) You can't see an alligator's teeth when it's mouth is closed; its lower teeth fit snugly into pits in the upper jaw. In contrast, a crocodile's lower teeth are always visible.

2) Alligators have a broad snout, while crocodiles have a thinner snout.

3) Alligators tend to be grayish black in color, whereas crocodiles have a light tan appearance.

4) Alligators can only be found in the southeastern United States and in some parts of China. Crocodiles can be found all over the world.

5) In the wild, alligators tend to run away. While not exactly wallflowers, they certainly prefer their own company. Some species of crocodiles, on the other hand, have legendary tempers. The Salt Water Crocodile and the Nile Crocodile have been known to eat people.

Answer 3

Alligators are characterized by a wider snout and eyes more dorsally located than their crocodile cousins. Both living species also tend to be darker in color, often nearly black but color is very dependent on the water. Algae-laden waters produce greener alligators; alligators from waters with a lot of tannic acid from overhanging trees are often darker (although the Chinese alligator has some light patterning.) Also, in alligators only the upper teeth can be seen with the jaws closed (in contrast to true crocodiles, in which upper and lower teeth can be seen), though many individuals bear jaw deformities which complicate this means of identification.

The eyes of a large alligator will glow red and those of a smaller one will glow green when a light is shined on them. This fact can be used to find alligators in the dark.

An average American alligator's weight and length is 800 lbs. and 13 feet long. According to the Everglades National Park website, the largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 meters). The largest alligator ever recorded measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 meters) and was found on Marsh Island, Louisiana. Few of the giant specimens were weighed, but the larger ones could have exceeded a ton in weight. The Chinese Alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 7 feet (2 meters) in length.

An alligator's lifespan is usually estimated in the range of 50 years or more. A specimen named Muja has resided in the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia since the zoo's opening in 1936, making it at least 70 years old.[

Answer 4

Crocodiles and alligators belong to the family of crocodilians. They are close relatives to dinosaurs, and they are the largest reptiles in the world. Crocodiles and alligators live in warm, most places, such as the Amazon rain forest or the Everglades swamps of south Florida. They rely on their sharp teeth and powerful jaws to capture prey. They feed on a variety of animals ranging from insects and frogs to fish, turtles, and birds.

How can we tell the differences between crocodiles and alligators? Alligators have a wide, flat head with rounded snouts. The head of an alligator looks like the letter U. Crocodiles have more pointed snouts. The head of a crocodile looks like the handle of a baseball bat. Another easy way to tell crocodiles from alligators is to observe their teeth. When alligators close their mouth, their lower teeth cannot be seen. In crocodiles, their lower teeth can be seen even when they shut their mouth tightly.

Crocodiles and alligators are excellent swimmers despite how clumsy they look when they walk on land. Once in the water, crocodiles and alligators show only their eyes and nostrils above the surface so they can see and breathe while waiting patiently for any animal that comes near them. They can also swim quietly to get close enough to the prey and launch a surprised attack! Crocodiles and alligators grab their prey with their powerful jaws and pull it underwater to drown it to death.

Answer 5

I think both are same. Americans call them Alligators and Asians and Africans call it as crocodiles. There is another variety in India, it is quite big but with a very narrow mouth or snout with a ball like thing at the top of the snout. It is called Gharial and lives in salt water lakes and sea.It does not attack humans.

Answer 6

crocodiles r heavy as compared to alligators
alligators have long mouth as compared to crocodiles

Answer 7

Crocodiles
- tropical
- do not hibernate
- males grow to 19 feet or more
- are more aggressive
- have pointed snout
- show more teeth when the mouth is
closed live in brackish, salty water
- adults are light tan to brown
- the belly button scars heal
- have ISOs all over (including belly skin)
- have functioning salt glands on their
tongues
- lay nests in mud or sand in brakish (salt)
water

Alligators
- subtropical
- hibernate
- males grow to 14 feet
- are more docile
- have rounded snout
- show fewer teeth when the mouth is
closed
- live in fresh water
- adults are grayish black
- have belly button scars
- have ISOs* around mouth only
- do not secrete salt from their tongues
- make nests out of vegetation in fresh water

Answer 8

They differ in size and appearance.
The lenght of their mouth also differs.
Crocs are larger than alligators.