Reproduction. Crocodiles are sexually dimorphic, and adult males are larger than females. Copulation occurs in the water, and it is preceded by a complex courtship in which the animals signal each other using changes in body profile, touch, and vocalization. Chemical signals are probably also part of courtship.[1]
Where Do Alligators And Crocodiles Live In The Usa
South Florida is the only place where you can find both crocodiles and alligators. American alligators occur in Florida, southern Texas, Louisiana and parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, with the alligator’s range appearing to inch northward in the last few years.[2]
What Us States Have Crocodiles?
American crocodiles occur in South Florida and also can be found in Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, along the Caribbean coast from southern Mexico to Venezuela, and along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru. The northern end of the crocodile’s range is in South Florida.[3]
Where Do Alligators Reside In The Us?
The American alligator is found in the United States from North Carolina to the Rio Grande in Texas. Alligators are usually found in freshwater, slow-moving rivers. They also live in swamps, marshes and lakes. They can only tolerate salt water for brief periods because they do not have salt glands.[4]
What Place Has Both Alligators And Crocodiles?
South Florida is the only place you can find both animals in the wild. To distinguish the two, alligators have a more U-shaped snout while crocodiles have a more pointed or V-shaped one. In addition, alligators are black, while crocodiles are usually a lighter grayish brown.[5]
How Many States Have Alligators Or Crocodiles?
The species is the official state reptile of three states: Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.[6]
How Strong Is A Crocodiles Bite Force
The ‘winners’—saltwater crocodiles—slammed their jaws shut with 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newtons, of bite force. By contrast, you might tear into a steak with 150 to 200 psi (890 newtons). Hyenas, lions, and tigers generate around 1,000 psi (4,450 newtons).Mar 15, 2012[7]
Is A Crocodile Bite Stronger Than A Shark?
Crocodile vs Shark: Bite Power and Teeth
The crocodile has the strongest bite of any terrestrial animal at 3,700PSI while also using 66, 4-inch-long teeth on their prey. Sharks have them beat, though. They bite at 4,000PSI with 300 serrated teeth measuring more than two inches.[8]
Do Crocodiles Have The Strongest Bite?
Crocodiles and alligators have the most powerful bite of any animal in the world, and the secret to this strength has just been revealed. Scientists at the University of Missouri found that crocodiles have a second jaw joint, an addition that enhances the force of their bite.[9]
What Has A Stronger Bite Than A Crocodile?
The Bull Shark
The modestly sized bull shark has that honor. Bull sharks have a bite force of 1,300 pounds toward the back of their jaw and 450 pounds in the front.[10]
Do Alligators Have A Stronger Bite Force Than Crocodiles?
Tougher Bite for Crocodiles
For pure bite strength, crocodiles beat alligators, no question. They beat all creatures whose bites have been evaluated, in fact. Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) specifically are the bite champions.[11]
What Is The Difference Between Crocodiles And Aligators
Physical Differences
Snout Shape: Alligators have a wide, rounded, u-shaped snout, while crocodiles have long, pointed, v-shaped snouts. Believe it or not, the difference in shape means that alligators can exert more strength from their mouths, which is useful in cracking open hard-shelled vertebrates, like turtles.Feb 4, 2016[12]
Are Crocodiles And Alligators The Same?
Alligators and crocodiles are from the same scientific order, but from different families. They are both members of the Crocodylia, but crocodiles are from the Crocodylidae family, while alligators come from the Alligatordae family.[13]
Can An Alligator And A Crocodile Mate?
Crocodiles can not mate with alligators. The quick answer is no. Despite having a similar appearance, they are genetically too different, and although related, they long ago diverged into different genera. Alligators and crocodiles belong to different subspecies (Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea).[14]
Do Alligators And Crocodiles Live Together?
They are found all over the world. The Florida Everglades is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles live together. The largest crocodile, the Australian saltwater crocodile, can get up to 18 feet long.[15]
What Are Crocodiles Most Related To
Crocodiles are the closest living relatives of the birds, sharing a common ancestor that lived around 240 million years ago and also gave rise to the dinosaurs.Dec 11, 2014[16]
What Is The Common Ancestor Of Crocodiles?
Today, only the birds and crocodilians exist to provide a glimpse into the past glory of archosaurs. Archosauria is defined as the group that includes the common ancestor of crocodiles and birds and all of its descendants.[17]
How Much Dna Do We Share With Crocodiles?
Understanding the crocodilian genome can help scientists better understand birds. The DNA in alligators, crocodiles and gharials is about 93 percent identical across the genome. By comparison, a human shares about 93 percent of his or her DNA with a macaque.Dec 11, 2014[18]
Are Birds Or Crocodiles More Related To Dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs and Birds
Although the living reptiles birds are most closely related to are crocodilians (archosaurs), when it comes to their relation to dinosaurs, birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs.[19]
What Are Alligators Most Closely Related To?
Alligators and their relatives are the last of the living reptiles that were closely related to dinosaurs, and their closest modern kin are birds. There is only one other alligator species, the Chinese alligator. Alligators and crocodiles are related.[20]
What Is A Saltwater Crocodiles Main Source Of Food
So, what do crocodiles eat? Crocodiles eat small mammals, birds, fish, bugs, frogs, other species of reptiles, and crustaceans.Dec 10, 2021[21]
What Do Saltwater Crocodiles Mainly Eat?
Saltwater crocodiles mostly eat fish, but will eat almost anything that they can overpower which can include turtles, goannas, snakes, birds, livestock (cattle), buffalo, wild boar and mud crabs. Hatchlings and juvenile crocodiles feed on insects, crustaceans, small reptiles, frogs and small fish.[22]
What Are Crocodiles Main Source Of Food?
Crocodiles are carnivores, which means they eat only meat. In the wild, they feast on fish, birds, frogs and crustaceans. Occasionally, crocs cannibalize each other. In captivity, they eat small animals that have already been killed for them, such as rats, fish or mice.[23]
How Often Do Saltwater Crocodiles Eat?
In extreme situations, crocodiles appear to be able to shut down and live off their own tissue for a long period of time. But most crocs eat much more often than that. In fact, the average croc eats about 50 full meals a year. When they feast, crocodiles are certainly not picky eaters.[24]
How Heavy Are Saltwater Crocodiles
Saltwater crocodileMass[25]
What Do Saltwater Crocodiles Weigh?
Crocodylus porosus
Males grow to a length of up to 6 m (20 ft), rarely exceeding 6.3 m (21 ft) or a weight of 1,000–1,300 kg (2,200–2,900 lb). Females are much smaller and rarely surpass 3 m (10 ft).[26]
How Big Is A Saltwater Crocodile Compared To A Person?
In fact, much of a saltwater croc’s length comes from its tail. In a full-grown adult, their tail can be longer than 7 feet – much longer than the average human height! Right now, the tallest human is just a little over 8 feet.Apr 26, 2022[27]
Why Are Saltwater Crocodiles So Big?
‘Optimal climate conditions (such as in some places in Australia) with few cold periods make it easier for the crocs to grow larger,’ Groh said. Salty males tend to be much larger than females, Drumheller-Horton said, though age is a big factor in how big these beasts can grow.[28]
How Strong Is A Salt Water Crocodile?
The ‘winners’—saltwater crocodiles—slammed their jaws shut with 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newtons, of bite force. By contrast, you might tear into a steak with 150 to 200 psi (890 newtons). Hyenas, lions, and tigers generate around 1,000 psi (4,450 newtons).[29]
What Kind Of Crocodiles Live In Costa Rica
The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) DOES live in Costa Rica.[30]
Resources
[1]https://www.britannica.com/animal/crocodile-order/Natural-history
[2]https://defenders.org/wildlife/american-crocodile-and-alligator
[3]https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/reptiles/american-crocodile/
[4]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-alligator
[5]https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/do-alligators-and-crocodiles-exist-together-anywhere-world
[6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator
[7]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/120315-crocodiles-bite-force-erickson-science-plos-one-strongest
[8]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/crocodile-vs-shark-who-would-win-in-a-fight/
[9]https://www.biosphereonline.com/2016/04/07/secret-crocodile-bite/
[10]https://animals.mom.com/bites-harder-crocodile-shark-11037.html
[11]https://animals.mom.com/stronger-alligator-crocodile-11384.html
[12]https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/blog/alligators-and-crocodiles/
[13]https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/blog/difference-gators-crocodiles/
[14]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/can-crocodiles-and-alligators-mate/
[15]https://louisianaswamp.com/alligator-vs-crocodile/
[16]https://news.ucsc.edu/2014/12/crocodile-genomes.html
[17]https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/verts/archosaurs/archosauria.php
[18]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141211141837.htm
[19]https://reptiland.com/how-birds-and-reptiles-are-related/
[20]https://srelherp.uga.edu/alligators/allmis.htm
[21]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/what-do-crocodiles-eat/
[22]https://becrocwise.nt.gov.au/about-crocodiles/saltwater-crocodiles
[23]https://www.livescience.com/28306-crocodiles.html
[24]https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/supersize-crocs-crocodile-secrets-of-survival/1750/
[25]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile
[26]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile
[27]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/saltwater-crocodile-size-comparison/
[28]https://www.livescience.com/63034-crocodile-big-grow-how-australia.html
[29]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/120315-crocodiles-bite-force-erickson-science-plos-one-strongest
[30]https://costa-rica-guide.com/photos/wildlife-reserves/gandoca-manzanillo-photos/attachment/img_0505/