Reptiles 3

Alligators & Crocodiles

Alligators and Crocodiles

• Alligators and crocodiles are the largest LIVING reptiles

• Both alligators and crocodiles are: – Carnivores– Take care of their young – Often hunt at night – Their strong muscular tails help them swim quickly

What do alligators and crocodiles eat?

• CARNIVORES: – Fish – Birds– Turtles– Frogs– Pigs– Deer– Buffalo–Monkeys

Alligators – U –shaped snout

• Have broad, (wider), rounded snouts

• Only a few teeth visible when the mouths are shut

Crocodiles – V –shaped snout

• Have pointed snouts

• Most of their teeth are visible when their mouths are shut

How can you tell the difference?

The Alligator has a U-shaped snout and the Crocodile has a V-shaped snout

Alligators live mostly in the southern United States and northeastern China

States where the Alligator lives:• Georgia• Florida• Alabama• South Carolina• Mississippi• Texas

Alligators live in mostly freshwater:

• Ponds• Marshes• Wetlands• Rivers• Lakes • Swamps• Brackish Water (exception to freshwater rule)

Crocodiles live in Africa, India, North and South America, and Australia

Crocodiles live in saltwater habitats

• Brackish water

• Mangrove wetlands

• Coves (small sheltered bay)

• Canals

Other differences between Alligators and Crocodiles:

• Crocodiles are better adapted to living in salt water than Alligators

• Crocodiles are more aggressive than Alligators

• Crocodiles are found all over the world while Alligators are only found in the United States and China

• Alligators are a darker color

The only place where Alligators and Crocodiles live side by side is Southern

Florida

Alligator and Crocodile Reproduction

• Unlike other reptiles, alligators and crocodiles take care of their babies for about 1 year

• After laying eggs (on land) the female stays near the nest

• Mother scoops babies up in her huge mouth or carries them on top of her to transport them from the nest to a nursery area where they will be safer