HOW ALLIGATORS ARE DIFFERENT FROM CROCODILES

Difference Between Alligators and Crocodiles

About Alligators:

Earth is the only planet known for living beings, in which there are humans, animals and plants. There are many species of plants and animals living in our planet earth.

 Today we are discussing about a reptile named Alligator. Alligator belongs to crocodile family and looks alike crocodile. Alligator are the largest predator in Everglades. They can grow up to 6 mt(20ft) long and have huge mouths filled with around 80 sharp teeth. Alligator can go through 3,000 teeth in a lifetime.

White Alligator

Alligators like to keep wet, but in winter, much of the Everglades dry up. So alligators dig holes in mud, known as gator holes, which fill up with water seeping in from underground. Fish, turtles and frogs collect in the holes. Many of these animals are eaten by the hungry alligators. 

American Alligator

The swamps of Everglades cover the southern tip of Florida, where alligators and crocodiles live side by side. The life span of alligators are 30 to 50 years, but the alligators have been living on earth through millions of years and are sometimes described by ‘living fossils’. Normally alligators are found in Asia and America. In Asia there are Chinese alligator and Gharial and in America there are American Alligators. Chinese alligators are found in china near Taiwan, and at tundra region. Chinese Alligators usually grow about 5 feet (1.5m) the largest Chinese alligator was measured in recent times was 7 feet and 1 inch, that is half of the size of American alligator, American alligators can grow up to 270 kg and are bigger than Chinese alligators. 

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Chinese Alligator

Normally a diet of an alligator is fishes, turtles and snakes but if they are hungry they can eat anything like pet animals, birds, in rare case, humans.The stokes alligator which measured 15 feet and 9 inches long and weighed 1,011.5 pounds (458.8 kg)is the display at the mann wildlife learning museum in Montgomery Alabama. It was the largest alligator ever recorded. Alligators aren’t strict carnivores they also eat fruits when they get chance.Alligators have bite strength of 2125 pounds per square inch, enough to bite through steel. The alligators bite pales in comparison to that of its crocodile cousin, however. The Saltwater Crocodile can slam its jaw shut with a force of 3,700 PSI.

If an alligator bites you, it would not release easily, because of its biting pressure.If you lives in an alligator city be aware when you are in a lake or a river, it would be very dangerous if the alligator is hungry. Alligators are ecosystem engineers and are apex predators that also eat fruits. Alligators are very aggressive on both land and water, the speed of an alligator on land is 32 km/h and their speed on water is 20 Km/h. An adult alligator can tear a man in a couple of seconds. Alligators usually live in water, and hides in it, when the prey comes closer, they attack and kill the prey. Alligators are a good swimmer, and their tail plays an important role in swimming, because their tail balances their whole body. Alligators can lay 10 – 50 eggs at a time, alligators egg can grow up to 15 cm long and the color of its egg is green and sometimes yellow. 

 Difference Between Alligators and Crocodile:

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American Alligator

An alligator’s fourth tooth fills into a socket, so it can’t be seen when it closes its mouth. Alligator’s snout is U shaped and curved as compared to of Crocodile's V Shape, They hang out in fresh water marshes and lakes. These are not stronger than crocodiles but the American alligator can give a considerable fight to crocodiles.

In this video you can see a alligator attacked a human by his deadly bite, and they attack people directly by their teeth and jaws. this is the main difference between an Alligator and a Crocodile

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Crocodile

The fourth tooth in the lower jaw of crocodile can always be seen, even when it shuts its mouth. Crocodile’s snout(shape of mouth) is V shaped. These are tend to live in salt water habitats and are heavy, deadly and aggressive than alligator.

and in this video you can see a crocodile using its special death roll, in which he rolls his prey using their tight grip. During their deadly death roll, the prey is killed by the by their high force of rolling. It is the main difference between an Alligator and a Crocodile