Sherpa's Wonderin's

Sherpa's Science Corner

Brought back by Public Demand: The difference between crocs an d alligators. Mostly because natural science is really cool and erinannie asked where this blog entry went. Now, here it is, only bigger, better and with photos.

Alligators and their kin

The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is just one type of large reptiles belonging to the family Crocodylidae. The history of the crocodilians dates back to the Triassic period, some 230 million years ago. Alligators and their kin are modern dinosaurs, having existed virtually unchanged for the past 65 million years. The crocodilians can be broken into four main groups, the alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gharials.

The alligator is found only in the southeastern United States and in China. Alligators have a short, blunt and rounded snout. Adults tend to be a grayish black in color while the young can be more colorful with yellow or white highlights on a black body. The Chinese alligator is quite small, only attaining a length of 6 feet. The American Alligator however is quite large, with a record length of 19' 2". Fortunately, the American Alligator is not considered to be a man-eater. In the wild, alligators tend to exhibit a natural fear of man.

Caimans are found primarily in Central and South America. There are many types of caiman, the most "popular" being the spectacled caiman (Caiman sclerops). This reptile was widely used in the pet trade, often sold as "baby alligators". Caiman are normally small and squat reptiles with an extremely toothy grin. The caiman that most resemble the alligator in size and appearance is the Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger). The Black Caiman is found in the Amazon River Basin and is said to attain a length of 13 feet.

Crocodiles are characterized by a long and tapered snout. They tend to be a light tan to a brownish in color. There are many types of crocodiles, some only reaching a maximum length of 6 feet while others can attain a length of over 23 feet. Crocodiles can be found all over the world, here in the United States we have one type of crocodile, the American Crocodile (crocodylus acutus). The American Crocodile is very rare and in the United States can only be found in the Key West to Florida Bay area. Two types of crocodiles are considered to be man-eaters, the Salt Water Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), and the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus).

The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a large crocodilian that inhabits India, Burma, and Pakistan. It is also a rare animal found mainly in the Ganges River. The Gharial has an extremely long and slender snout. It is a specialized feeder of fish and can attain lengths of over 20 feet.