{"id":34587,"date":"2023-12-08T12:27:32","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T11:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fde6f9a1-5f95-4684-bb7c-3ea9279e9cbb"},"modified":"2023-12-08T13:35:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T12:35:39","slug":"crocodile-vs-alligator-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-fearsome-predators","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/crocodile-vs-alligator-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-fearsome-predators\/","title":{"rendered":"Crocodile vs alligator: what’s the difference between these two fearsome predators?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? Stuart Blackman explains why gators are not crocs and crocs are not gators.\u00a0 <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 08 December 2023 at 11:27 AM<\/p>

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The words\u00a0\u201ccrocodile\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201calligator\u201d\u00a0are often used interchangeably to describe any large reptile with a toothy smile that is\u00a0probably\u00a0best\u00a0not to go swimming with. But gators are not crocs and crocs are not gators.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Here we take a look at the difference between a crocodile and an alligator<\/p>

What’s the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?<\/h2>

True, they are\u00a0both members of a single\u00a0order of reptiles called the\u00a0Crocodilia,\u00a0but within that group,\u00a0they belong to\u00a0distinct\u00a0families\u00a0that went their separate ways about 90\u00a0million years ago\u00a0–\u00a0long before\u00a0that\u00a0asteroid killed off\u00a0the dinosaurs.<\/a><\/p>

The 18 species of crocodile are distributed throughout the world\u2019s tropics.\u00a0They include the largest of all\u00a0living reptiles, the\u00a0saltwater crocodile<\/a>, which can exceed 6m long and well over a tonne in weight\u00a0and\u00a0inflicts\u00a0the highest recorded bite force of any animal (1.7 tonnes). We named the saltwater crocodile one of the deadliest sea creatures in the world<\/a><\/p>

Only two species\u00a0go by the name of alligator \u2013 the American and the Chinese. However, the\u00a0alligator\u00a0family also includes the\u00a0closely-related\u00a0caimans, all\u00a0six of which occur\u00a0in Central and South America.\u00a0The only place where crocodiles and alligators occur together is southern Florida.<\/p>

How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator<\/h2>

So\u00a0how do we distinguish\u00a0these two groups of amphibious predatory reptiles?\u00a0One\u00a0consistent difference lies in\u00a0that\u00a0infamous smile, which is straighter in alligators and wavier in crocodiles.\u00a0Alligators have a slight overbite, so when their mouths are closed, the\u00a0upper\u00a0teeth\u00a0obscure\u00a0the\u00a0lower\u00a0ones.\u00a0A crocodile\u2019s upper and lower teeth are more aligned and slot in between each other, so both sets are visible.\u00a0Its\u00a0fourth lower tooth, which projects up against the outside of the upper jaw, is particularly obvious.<\/p>

In general, crocodiles have narrower, pointier, v-shaped snouts\u00a0compared toalligators. A notable exception is the mugger crocodile\u00a0of south Asia, which has a broad,\u00a0rounded alligator-like snout.\u00a0And not all narrow-snouted crocodilians are crocodiles. The narrowest snouts of all belong to the two species of fish-eating,\u00a0gharials<\/a>. These are more closely related to crocodiles than alligators, but have been assigned to their own separate family.<\/p>

There are also differences in\u00a0overall\u00a0colour. Crocodiles tend to come in\u00a0lighter greenish browns, while alligators lean towards\u00a0darker greys. And shape-wise, crocodiles are slightly longer limbed than alligators.<\/p>