Alligators have relatively broad, blunt snouts. Crocodiles, by contrast, have narrow, pointy snouts. There are other differences as well, of course, but most of them are either somewhat unreliable (coloration, which can vary a bit, and habitat, which has a fair amount of overlap) or undesirable in the wild (the shape of the teeth, which are a clear indicator but are difficult to examine up close and personal, unless you are too up close and personal, in which case, ow).
Friday, April 20, 2012
How to tell an alligator from a crocodile
Alligators have relatively broad, blunt snouts. Crocodiles, by contrast, have narrow, pointy snouts. There are other differences as well, of course, but most of them are either somewhat unreliable (coloration, which can vary a bit, and habitat, which has a fair amount of overlap) or undesirable in the wild (the shape of the teeth, which are a clear indicator but are difficult to examine up close and personal, unless you are too up close and personal, in which case, ow).
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Did get to play with a gator a few days ago on a swampy tour in Louisiana, but it was a baby (about 6 inches long).
ReplyDeleteDid see some big ones scarfing down chicken pieces, but let the guide do the feeding (he seemed to be on a first name basis with all of them -- Cajuns!).
Just posted a gator pic to Facebook:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3388894314715&set=a.1122405413909.19899.1040283357&type=1&ref=nf
or
https://www.facebook.com/pkbrandon