How to distinguish between Crocodile and Alligator

After sharing the interesting facts about Crocodiles in my earlier blog, I thought it might be better to clear some doubts people have over Crocodiles and Alligators. Though both seem to similar visually there are are basic difference between the two. 

In taxonomy Crocodiles and Alligators are both grouped under the same reptilian order Crocodylia. But they belong to two different families viz Crocodylidae and Alligatoridae. There are another family called Gavialidaewhich includes the Gharials. 

Following are the basic differences between Crocodiles and Alligators:

The snout of an alligator is much larger, wider and u shaped. On the other hand the snout of the crocodile is V shaped and more pointed. The ability to crush anything is better in alligators than in crocs.

The nostril of a crocodile is much bigger compared to Alligators.

The skin color of Alligator is much darker compared to Crocodiles. Crocodiles generally are of lighter shade.

The teeth of Crocodiles are much sharper than Alligators. When the mouth is closed you can the teeth of crocodile but in case of alligators the teeth are hidden inside their mouth.

The animals of order Crocodylia is originated even before the dinosaurs and they have gone through very little change during these mllion years. There are total 23 species in this Order.

So now if you come face to face with a Crocodile or an Alligator you will easy differentiate between the two. 

Crocodiles: Some interesting Facts

In the interesting facts series today's edition  is Crocodiles.

The word crocodile comes from Greek word crocodilos meaning lizards of the Nile. They are closely related to birds and mammals than to reptiles.

 The largest species of crocodile(salt water crocodile) is of 7 meter in length while the smallest one(the dwarf crocodile) is 1.5 meter. 

The Nile crocodile are the largest reptilian predator on earth.

Though we associate crocodiles with water, they can hunt in both aquatic as well as terrestrial soundings. 

They can achieve a speed of 17 kph on land.

Unlike other reptiles they have 4 chambered heart and cerebral cortex.

They can excrete sweat through their mouth. This behavior can be seen when they stay in the river banks with mouths wide open.

The teeth are meant to grab they prey rather than to chew. They can grow new teeth in place of old teeth all life long.

The diet of a crocodile can be very diverse. They mostly eat fishes, amphibians, birds, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and some time even crocodiles also. They have the most acidic stomach than any vertebrate. They can digest even horns, hooves, bones etc. Crocodiles can eat their prey above as well as under water.

Their jaws are very powerful. The jaw is covered with sensory pits, it is believe to be of same purpose like the lateral line in fishes.  The muscles which opens and closes their jaws are very different in nature. While closing jaws they generate enormous power(they have the strongest bite force for any living creature) but the opening of the jaw have very little strength. You can prevent it from opening even with a rubber band.

Crocodiles shed tears during feasting.

The tail of the crocodile can exert tremendous amount of power. It is also helps them in swimming.

They can keep their eyes open in water. They possess nictitating membrane which protect their eyes under water.

Though seems to be visually similar, Crocodiles, Alligators and Gharials are different animals.

They lay eggs in the land. The egg size of the crocodiles are not proportionate to their sizes their sizes are same as of a goose.

They have a very well developed sense of smell .

They are cold blooded animal and need the sun to warm themselves up.

They are ambush predators. Generally they don’t chase their prey. They are the most social animals among the reptiles and sometimes hunt cooperatively.  

Life span of a crocodile can be up to 80 years.

The skin in the back of a crocodile is covered with bones. These are very hard and can even reflect bullets. The skin on their belly is much softer and many tribal societies this skin is referred as a symbol of status.

Thanks for reading. Check out more interesting facts about other animals on our archive section.