A newly discovered difference between alligators and crocodiles. Of the 23 different species of crocodilians in the world, 2 species are native to the united states, and south florida is the only place where both of these. Despite their superficial similarities, the alligator and crocodile families split from a common ancestor 93100 million years ago. 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. How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world, but alligators found in. Read below for the main differences between alligators and crocodiles. You can tell the difference between alligators and crocodiles by the width of their snout as alligators have a wide and broad nose while a crocodile will usually have a narrow nose. This book was written by gail gibbons, who is a wellknown childrens author. Animal encyclopedia for kids wildlife children s animal books ebook. In alligators its broad and ushaped, while in crocodiles its narrow and vshaped. In crocodiles, however, some teeth in the bottom jaw appear, most notably the large fourth tooth. 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. How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an.
Crocodiles and alligators scholastic library publishing. Alligators and crocodiles by gail gibbons paperback. An alligator, on the other hand, has a broad, blunt snout. Mar 10, 2019 but back to the difference between alligators, crocodiles and the smaller central and south american caiman. Its a very tiny difference, but an important difference. While there are plenty of differences between alligators and crocodiles, there are also a lot of similarities. Whats the difference between a crocodile and an alligator.
Crocodiles are found near swamps, lakes and rivers in the tropical areas of africa, australia, asia, madagascar, and south america. Alligators and crocodiles are commonly confused with one another, and the words are often used interchangeably. The main difference is that a crocodile has a narrow snout that comes to a point at the tip, and the fourth. Learn about the differences between crocodiles and alligators its a series of kids picture books 1 free expedited delivery and up to 30% off rrp on select textbooks shipped and sold by amazon au. This is a major distinction between true crocodiles and alligators and caimans. As a child, i drove my parents crazy with requests for our family to move to miami where i could be near the alligators. However, each species is unique, and to list all the possible differences would be like comparing a jaguar with a lion. Sometimes alligators are called gators for short and sometimes crocodiles are called crocs for short.
Many differences between the two reptiles center on their heads and mouths, but. An alligators upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw, meaning that teeth on its lower jaw are almost completely hidden when its mouth is closed. South florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live alongside each other. Around since the time of dinosaurs, crocodiles and alligators eat without chewing, have three eyelids, and provide good living conditions for other animals. You can support my channel donating on patreon or btc 1cu467t47nul8q4avm3dqhgkjd5mr2ddqk basic differences between all. Students can read the book independently, with a partner, in a small reading. But back to the difference between alligators, crocodiles and the smaller central and south american caiman. Another difference between alligators and crocodiles that can easily be noticed is the slight difference in their color. The above points are amongst the most obvious differences between crocodiles and alligators in terms of external appearance. You can tell alligators and crocodiles apart mostly by the width of their. Listen to this article about crocodiles and alligators and explore the concept of compare and contrast. Aug 07, 2001 crocodiles and alligators may seem ferocious and scary, but renowned science author seymour simon confirms that they.
Crocodiles and alligators are the biggest reptilians on the planet. Some of the photos could be a bit scary for a younger child, so the adult may want to preread it before letting children look at it. Another notable difference between crocodiles and alligators is the visibility of the teeth on the bottom jaw. The teeth of a crocodile are visible, even when the crocodiles mouth is closed, while alligator teeth are invisible until the mouth is open. By the early 1960s, the feasibility of farming these reptiles on a commercial scale was investigated in response to the decline of many crocodilian species around the world.
Its fourth lower tooth cannot be seen when the alligators mouth is closed. Whats the difference between alligators and crocodiles. I have loved alligators and crocodiles for as long as i can rememeber. In terms of physical differences, observing the snout the mouth and nose is one of the simplest ways to distinguish between a crocodile and an alligator. The crocodiles slimmer snouts are flexible for fishhunting while the alligators are wider, giving them greater power to crush their food prey. These identification clues and many more can all be found in whats the difference. Alligators are freshwater animals, while crocodiles live in saltwater. I adore books, so i want to share some of my and zoeys favorite alligator and crocodile books for kids. Difference between crocodiles and alligators difference wiki. Today im going to show you how to tell the difference between crocodiles and alligators.
Despite being entirely different animals sharing the order crocodilia, but not a family, people often wonder about the difference between crocodiles and alligators. Close inspection, which we dont recommend in the wild, would present distinct differences between alligators and crocodiles. In this article, well explain the main difference between alligator and crocodile species, as well as where you can find them, what they eat, and their relationship with humans. The fourth tooth of a crocodile sticks out when they close their mouth. Crocodilian biology database faq whats the difference. While they are related and do look very similar, crocodiles and alligators in the everglades have some major differences. Oct 31, 2015 as with other baby professor books, the photographs are beautiful full color and very detailed. Purchased this book for my 5year old daughters 5th bday to go along with her crocodile theme party. The most obvious way to tell a crocodile, left, from an alligator, is from their snouts. Crocodiles and alligators in picture books 40 books.
Everglades holiday park provides fun airboat tours in south florida that the entire family will enjoy. One youll see in a while and the other youll see later. A newly discovered difference between alligators and. Crocodiles have a longer, more vshaped head than alligators. Alligator, crocodiles and alligators two creatures that share many similarities. As with other baby professor books, the photographs are beautiful full color and very detailed. This is probably the most frequently asked question when it comes to crocodilians, and while the answer may appear straightforward the real truths lie in the details. What they dont realize is that, despite some similarities, the two reptiles dont look or behave the same. The 8 main differences between alligators and crocodiles. Alligators and crocodiles share plenty of similarities, but there are actually key differences between them. Alligators were first seen by spanish soldier exploring north america. Alligators are related in the same family as the crocodile, but these two animals are very different. Difference between alligators and crocodiles compare the.
There are 14 species of true crocodiles, in three genera. Crocodiles have long and pointed, vshaped snouts while alligators have rounded, ushaped snouts. Sep 15, 2012 close inspection, which we dont recommend in the wild, would present distinct differences between alligators and crocodiles. Apr 08, 2020 how to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Crocodiles tend to have a lighter appearance than alligators. Alligators have wider, ushaped snouts, while crocodile front ends are more pointed and vshaped. Crocodiles and alligators compare and contrast third grade. The 8 main differences between alligators and crocodiles owlcation. Alligator vs crocodile differences explained with videos. There is the american alligator and the chinese alligator. Although they look similar, there are a few key physical.
There are total 28 numbers of species are existinig today of the crocodilians. Alligators have shorter, wider heads that are more ushaped than crocodiles. Theyre lots of fun, though, and i love sharing them with children who understand the. Now i know that a crocodile s head is more narrow and its snout is more pointed that an alligator s. What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. Alligators and crocodiles by gail gibbons 2010 description. Many people have a hard time telling the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Finally, we all know the difference between alligators and crocodiles.
Coming face to face with a crocodile or an alligator, youd see a mouth full of serrated teeth that would likely scare the bejeezus out of you. Jul 01, 2019 crocodiles and alligators are the biggest reptilians on the planet. In this extremely interesting nonfiction picture book, gibbons compares the two reptiles by giving facts about boththeir physical differences, what they eat, where they are found, how fast they swim how they raise their young, and more. Many people struggle to tell these two reptiles apart, but it isnt that difficult when you know what to look for. Crocodiles were first seen by greek travelers exploring egypt.
Another difference between crocodiles and alligators is their habitat. Croc vs gator whats the difference by jess keating this newsletter was created. Their behavior is also starkly different, with crocs being more aggressive than gators. Crocodyliaphysical characteristicsthe order crocodylia, also known as the crocodilians, includes 23 species of the most feared and most fascinating animals on the planet. When crocodiles close their mouths, both upper and lower teeth are visible. Crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world while alligators are only found in the us and china. Do you know the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Im a zoologist turned middle gradepicture book author.
Whats the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. This book is excellent for teaching your kids the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Whats the difference between alligator and crocodile. Crocodiles and alligators are large, frightfullooking reptiles. The majority of the book describes similarities between alligators and crocodiles. In the case of alligators, the lower teeth are typically not visible when the mouth is shut. The main difference between crocodiles and alligators is that they belong to different scientific families, crocodylidae, and alligatoridae respectively. Alligators have a wide and broad nose, and the crocodile has a narrow nose. Crocodile and alligator differences animal facts for kids. Crocodiles and alligators belong to a group of reptiles called crocodilians, which are the largest of the living reptiles. Just choose books based on your childs age and what you think will engage. The most obvious way to tell a crocodile, left, from an alligator, is from their.
Crocodiles and alligators in picture books score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Aug 11, 2017 alligators and crocodiles are fascinating for most children. Crocodiles have long, narrow, vshaped snouts, while those of alligators are wider and ushaped. Crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world, but alligators found in the us and in china. Fiction books about alligators and crocodiles almost always have talking animals and unrealistic situations. As others have pointed out, in any other animal group a split that old would lead to alarmingly different modern re. What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. 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. One of the most commonly asked questions is what is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. The best alligator and crocodile books for kids living. Alligators and crocodiles were first farmed in the early 20th century, but the facilities involved were zoolike and their main source of income was from tourism. So how do you tell the difference between crocodiles and alligators. May 06, 2018 in contrast to alligators and caimans, when true crocodiles close their jaws the enlarged 4th tooth on the lower jaw rests in that notch, and its tip is clearly visible.
Jun 29, 2017 despite being entirely different animals sharing the order crocodilia, but not a family, people often wonder about the difference between crocodiles and alligators. Alligators strongly favor freshwater while some species of crocodile live in seawater. Alligators and crocodiles, like most reptiles, also lay eggs and their skin is covered with hard, dry scales. Other differences include the shape of their jaws and hind legs. Crocodiles and alligators two creatures that share many similarities. To the untrained eye, both look like prehistoric swamp lizards, but there are some tricks you can use so you dont make a faux pas the next time youre in florida. Great for units on animals, reptiles, life cycles, habitats or animal adaptations this is a nonfiction minibook about alligators and crocodiles. This book captures the fascination and joy these huge reptiles have always held for me. Whats the difference between a caiman, crocodile and. A book about alligators and crocodiles by melvin a. These differences are indicative of the type of diet that each species favors. Alligators and crocodiles by gail gibbons hardcover. They both have scaly skin, huge teeth, and powerful jaws.
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