Do you know the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Alligators and caimans have a wide ushaped, rounded snout like a shovel, whereas crocodiles tend to have longer and more. If you cannot differentiate between an alligator and a crocodile, you are not alone. The differences between alligators and crocodiles experts123. Around since the time of dinosaurs, crocodiles and alligators eat without chewing, have three eyelids, and provide good living conditions for other animals. What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile.
One of the ways is to look at how their teeth sit when their mouth is shut. Many people are unaware that theres a difference between alligators and crocodiles and use both terms interchangeably to describe any large waterdwelling lizard with big teeth. Hopefully, now it will be easy for you to tell the difference between crocodile vs alligator. Researchers believe that the animals share a common ancestral. Alligatoridae alligators, crocodylidae crocodiles, and gavialidae gharial. When their mouths are closed, you can see some of the crocodiles lower teeth, but not the alligators. Alligators and crocodiles are the worlds largest reptiles and the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. Jul 03, 2017 as a general rule, the toothier the crocodilian, the more likely it is a crocodile. I thought this was important for you to know before your child asks you or hisher teacher. The easiest way of telling apart crocodiles from alligators, however, is to look at their noses.
Alligators are darker in color, nearly black with a ushaped snout. The most telltale difference between alligators and crocodiles is the jaw. Alligators possess a broad ushaped snout and have an overbite. Alligators you can only see the top teeth when its mouth is closed as opposed to all a crocodiles teeth. Interview with alligator differences between alligators. What better way to introduce the letter a or the cr consonant blend to your preschoolers than with some alligator and crocodile books and rhymes. As a child, i drove my parents crazy with requests for our family to move to miami where i could be near the alligators. Crocodiles and alligators rookie readabout science. Another difference between crocodiles and alligators is their habitat. Purchased this book for my 5year old daughters 5th bday to go along with her crocodile theme party. Alligators can be differentiated from true crocodiles by the form of their jaw and teeth. Alligators and crocodiles by gail gibbons goodreads.
They evolved down very similar lines from the same ancestor but took a different path somewhere which is why there are little differences. South florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live alongside each other. Crocodile books are fantastic for kids who are interested in learning more about reptiles and how the crocodile lives. So, what are the differences between caimans, alligators, and crocodiles. Many of the differences between the two center on their heads and mouths.
I adore books, so i want to share some of my and zoeys favorite alligator and crocodile books for kids. They live in fresh and brackish water, but prefer fresh. These identification clues and many more can all be found in whats the difference. This book is excellent for teaching your kids the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Im staying right here at my desk looking at our collection of books about alligators and crocodiles. Join awardwinning science writer seymour simon in this picture book introduction to some of the worlds fiercest reptiles. Not sure of the difference between gators and crocs. So how do you tell the difference between crocodiles and alligators. You are very likely to run into these reptiles during your everglades airboat tour, and you may be wondering what the difference is between the two. Unlike alligators, crocodile snouts are long, narrow, and pointed or vshaped. Childrens books about alligators and crocodiles sommer reading. However, each species is unique, and to list all the possible differences would be like comparing a jaguar with a lion.
Crocodile, alligator, and caiman leather which is better. Other things to look for include head shape and skin color. Let us know if there are any more differences you spotted yourself. Today we are sharing a list of fantastic crocodile and alligator childrens books. Although they look similar, there are a few key physical. There are distinct differences between alligators and crocodiles. What is the difference between alligator and crocodile. Learn about the differences between crocodiles and alligators its a series of kids picture books 1 ebook. While alligators appear dark in complexion, crocodiles are usually a lighter brown, green, or gray. On the other hand, crocodiles have much narrower and longer jaws, and the upper and lower jaws are approximately the same length.
Reptiles include alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes. How do you tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. The main difference between crocodiles and alligators is that they belong to different scientific families, crocodylidae, and alligatoridae respectively. The introductory chapter describes crocodilian anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and behaviour. In terms of physical differences the easiest way to tell the difference between the two is that a crocodile has a very long, narrow, vshaped snout, while the alligators snout is wider and ushaped.
One difference between the two is the structure of their outer skin. Alligators have a wide, broad nose but a crocodile will usually have a narrow nose. The above points are amongst the most obvious differences between crocodiles and alligators in terms of external appearance. The teeth of a crocodile are visible, even when the crocodiles mouth is closed, while alligator teeth are invisible until the mouth is open. Whereas, crocodiles are a light tan or olive green in color with a vshaped snout that is longer and narrow in front. The teeth of a crocodile are visible, even when the crocodile s mouth is closed, while alligator teeth are invisible until the mouth is open.
Alligators are more hostile as compared to crocodiles, which is against the usual. Interview with alligator differences between alligators and crocodiles crocodilians thats the family name of both alligators and crocodiles. While there are plenty of differences between alligators and crocodiles, there are also a lot of similarities. They both have scaly skin, huge teeth, and powerful jaws. Crocodiles on the other hand flash a toothy grin with their top and bottom teeth interlacing. There have been many books with 1,000s of pages dedicated to showing the difference between the two similar, but totally different, species, but this book does more in 20 short pages then many treatises on the subject. There are differences between alligators and crocodiles as well. So, the first difference is that alligators and crocodiles are actually in different families. Crocodiles are found near swamps, lakes and rivers in the tropical areas of africa, australia, asia, madagascar, and south america. I was embarrassed when i was asked this at a class i attended with my 18 year old. Alligators and crocodiles by gail gibbons 2010 description. I have loved alligators and crocodiles for as long as i can rememeber. Crocodiles tend to live in saltwater habitats, while alligators.
Those of alligators are wider and shorter, and crocodiles top. What happens in storytime storytime crocodiles and alligators to ill. When an alligator closes its mouth, you tend to see only its upper teeth. Childrens fiction animals alligators crocodiles books alibris. May 08, 2003 this book is a comprehensive reference work on the biology, management and health of crocodiles, alligators and gharials. Difference between crocodile and alligator youtube. It is applicable to both farmed and captive animals. Alligators have broad, oval jaws that are not so long, with a noticeable overbite as the upper jaw extends visibly over the lower jaw. The book begins by playing on our fear of alligators and crocodiles, describing one of these giant reptiles gliding through the water, slowly appearing above the surface. Crocodile have a longer narrower snout top and bottom jaw are nearly the same width so teeth on the top and bottom are visible along the whole jaw line. A newly discovered difference between alligators and crocodiles. One ways is to look at how their teeth sit when their mouth is shut.
Its not that hard to tell an american alligator from a crocodile if you know what to look for. Crocodile and alligator childrens books craft play learn. Which reptile is only found in the southern us and china. Crocodiles were first seen by greek travelers exploring egypt. Crocodiles hunt larger prey, such as sharks and large mammals such as buffaloes, apes, and even humans. What is the difference between alligators and crocodiles.
The crocodiles slimmer snouts are flexible for fishhunting while the alligators are wider, giving them greater power to crush their food prey. The fourth tooth of a crocodile sticks out when they close their mouth. The best alligator and crocodile books for kids living. Now you can go wild with the wild kratts every wednesday with a brand new video on the official. Which reptile is found in many parts of the world, including africa, australia, and america. Most people confuse the alligators and crocodiles, as they are both huge, scaly lizards of prey. This classic alphabet book features a family of alligators doing the things youd expect alligators to do. In this extremely interesting nonfiction picture book, gibbons compares the two reptiles by giving facts about boththeir physical differences, what they eat, where they.
A book about alligators and crocodiles by melvin a. The first difference between a crocodile and an alligator is that they are from different families of crocodilians. The most obvious way to tell a crocodile, left, from an alligator, is from their snouts. There are a handful of differences between alligators and crocodiles especially in appearance, and once you know these differences youll be able to easily differentiate the two. A newly discovered difference between alligators and. How can you tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Alligators are found in fresh water whereas crocodiles live in both fresh and salt water. These differences are most obvious when you study their skulls. Sep 15, 2012 whats the difference between alligators and crocodiles. For alligators, the upper jaw is wider than the lower one, so when they close their mouths, all their teeth are hidden. Difference between alligator and crocodile alligator vs. One of the most distinguishing features is their snouts. Jul 22, 2015 there are a lot more picture books about alligators and crocodiles than you might expect. Another difference between alligators and crocodiles is that crocs have salt glands on their.
Crocodilians have up to 80 teeth in their mouth at one time. I like this book because it is really funny and creative. Difference between caiman, alligator, and crocodile. October pete, an alligator who thinks that he is a flamingo, worries when he begins to notice the differences between him and his flamingo friends. Crocodiles tend to have vshaped faces, while alligators sport shorter, ushaped snouts. Youll learn about how alligators are shockingly spoiled, how they never nap, and that they love bursting balloons. In addition, like nearly all other reptiles, they lay eggs and their skin is covered with hard, dry scales. Crocodiles are from the crocodylidae family and the alligators and caiman are from the alligatoridae family. Crocodilia or crocodylia is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians.
Most consumers cannot tell the difference between crocodile leather, alligator leather, and caiman leather when it comes to purchasing highend luxury items. What is the difference between an aligator and a crocodile. If youve found yourself on an everglades excursion and in the situation where you cant tell if the animal in front of you is an alligator or a crocodile, here are a few tips to help you differentiate the two. Alligators and crocodiles are commonly confused with one another, and the words are often used interchangeably. Aug 07, 2001 crocodiles and alligators may seem ferocious and scary, but renowned science author seymour simon confirms that they. Alligators and crocodiles share plenty of similarities, but there are actually key differences between them. These alligator and crocodile themed story books are super fun are popular books to read with kids both at home and in the preschool setting. Todays book of the day is the parent agency by david baddiel. Listen to this article about crocodiles and alligators and explore the concept of compare and contrast. What are the differences between gharials, crocodiles, and. The florida everglades is famous for many things, one of them being the only environment on earth in which american alligators and american crocodiles coexist in harmony. There are total 28 numbers of species are existinig today of the crocodilians.
Crocodilian biology database faq whats the difference. How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. You can tell the difference by looking at their teeth. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the late cretaceous period cenomanian stage and are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the archosauria. What they dont realize is that, despite some similarities, the two reptiles dont look or behave the same. Whats the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Alligators and crocodiles are fascinating for most children. Alligator, either of two crocodilians related to the tropical american caimans. Jul 01, 2019 crocodiles and alligators are the biggest reptilians on the planet. Difference between crocodiles and alligators difference wiki. Whats the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Well, thats our post on the differences between crocodiles vs alligators, and we hope you found it useful, informative, and easy to understand. Shop childrens fiction animals alligators crocodiles books at alibris.
Can you tell the difference between the two creatures. Difference between alligators and crocodiles compare the. The three families are members of class reptilia and order crocodilia. Jul 03, 2018 how to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Crocodiles and alligators are large, frightfullooking reptiles. The alligators have a snout that is ushaped while crocodiles have a narrow and vshaped snout. In the case of alligators, the lower teeth are typically not visible when the mouth is shut. Another difference between alligators and crocodiles that can easily be noticed is the slight difference in their color. One of the main differences between alligators and crocodiles is their color. Alligators are freshwater animals, while crocodiles live in saltwater.
Crocodiles and alligators also differ in the shape of their snout. For example, we learn differences in their habitats, bodies, and nests. There are three different families of crocodilians. However you will find alligators as well as some other wildlife if you take a guided swamp tour through the bayou. Alligators are only found in parts of the us and china, whereas crocodiles can be found across the world. Crocodiles and alligators compare and contrast third grade. Alligators were first seen by spanish soldier exploring north america.
This book captures the fascination and joy these huge reptiles have always held for me. Do you know the difference between alligators and crocodi. In crocodiles, however, some teeth in the bottom jaw appear, most notably the large fourth tooth. This book was written by gail gibbons, who is a wellknown childrens author. Crocodiles have a longer, more vshaped head than alligators. In alligators its broad and ushaped, while in crocodiles its narrow and vshaped. Reptiles are covered with scales, shields, or plates, and their toes have claws.
And if youre daring enough, take a gander at their chompers. Alligators all around and not a crocodile to be found. If you have a child interested in learning more, i would recommend a trip to the museum of science or checking out one of these titles. Coming face to face with a crocodile or an alligator, youd see a mouth full. Apr 08, 2020 how to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator.
How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an. All of them are terrific introductions to alligators and crocodiles for kids between the ages of 6 and 9. The crocodiles snout is pointed and vshaped, and the alligators is wide and ushaped. Difference between crocodile and alligator alligator vs crocodile duration. Differences between crocodiles, gharials, and alligators. Whats the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. In this article, well explain the main difference between alligator and crocodile species, as well as where you can find them.
Crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world, but alligators found in the us and in china. And last but not least, research rabbit hole of the day is the difference between crocodiles and alligators because i can never tell the difference. More seriously, while there are a number of different alligator and crocodile species, crocodiles usually have narrower, pointier snouts than alligators. The majority of the book describes similarities between alligators and crocodiles. However, there are a few sections that describe differences. The 8 main differences between alligators and crocodiles.
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