Although similar in appearance, crocodiles and alligators differ in some aspects of their biology, way of life and behaviour of these large modern reptiles. Both types of reptiles belong to the order Crocodylidae, but to different families.
Of all these potentially dangerous reptiles, alligators have only two species: the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), which live, as their name suggests, only in the southeastern United States and southern China.
Crocodiles, on the other hand, currently number 14 species, obviously excluding gavials and caimans.
At first comparison, crocodiles have a longer and more pronounced triangular snout than alligators. The fourth tooth of crocodiles is always visible when they have a closed snout. Most crocodiles, and especially the large saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), are better adapted to seawater than alligators. Crocodiles are much more aggressive and dangerous to humans than alligators. Crocodiles are much larger and more massive than alligators, and the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) are the largest reptiles today, with both species sometimes exceeding 6 metres in length and weighing over a tonne!
Crocodile species live in North, Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Crocodiles have a stronger bite than alligators, and are in fact the animals with the strongest bite today. Obviously, it’s the large Nile and saltwater crocodiles.
On the other hand, alligators have proportionally shorter, wider and more rounded U-shaped snouts than crocodiles. Generally speaking, alligators are darker in colour than all crocodile species and are more gentle than their larger relatives.
