Crocodile or alligator?

A field-spotter’s guide to carnivorous reptiles

Crocodile Location:

Crocodiles live in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas in both fresh and salt water.

Snout shape:

The V-shaped snout is a general-purpose design for catching fish, reptiles and mammals.

Jaws/teeth:

The upper and lower jaws are the same width, so the fourth tooth in the lower jaw sticks up.

Colour:

Mottled green or sandy yellow, with slightly darker scales along the back and tail.

Skin:

Each scale has a pore near the edge, visible even on crocodile handbags and wallets.

Alligator Location:

Alligators are only found in the southern United States and China and vastly prefer freshwater.

Snout shape:

A heavier, U-shaped snout provides extra strength for cracking turtle shells.

Jaws/teeth:

A wider upper jaw completely covers all the teeth in the lower jaw when the mouth is closed.

Colour:

Much darker, sometimes almost completely black depending on the water quality.

Skin:

Alligators only have pores on the scales that cover the upper and lower jaws.

Other

A crocodile with a very long, thin snout is actually a gharial. Caimans look like a slightly smaller alligator, but you can tell them apart because the large scales on their head form a four-four-two pattern, instead of two-two-two.