Central African dwarf crocodiles are heavily impacted by hunting for meat and trade by local people and, in terms of weight, are one of the most abundant sources of bushmeat found across the region. However, it is likely populations in West Africa are now below economically viable levels for such exploitation.[1]
How Do You Tell The Difference Between Crocodiles And Alligators
Physical DifferencesSnout Shape: Alligators have a wide, rounded, u-shaped snout, while crocodiles have long, pointed, v-shaped snouts. … Jawline: Alligators have a wide upper jaw, which allows for the teeth to remain hidden in the mouth. … Size and Weight: Both alligators and crocodiles are massive reptiles.[2]
What Are 3 Differences Between Alligators And Crocodiles?
Alligators are black or gray on top with a cream-colored underside, possess a U-shaped snout, and are smaller and more timid than crocodiles. Crocodiles are larger, more aggressive, are mostly green or brown, and have a snout in a V-shape.Jan 6, 2022[3]
What Makes Alligators Different From Crocodiles?
Alligators are dark green or black, have u-shaped snouts, tiny black spots and are smaller than crocs. Crocodiles are bigger, have v-shaped snouts and are more aggressive. They also have visible bottom teeth and are light green, brown or light grey.[4]
Can Alligators And Crocodiles 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).[5]
Which Is More Aggressive Alligator Or Crocodile?
Answer: There is actually only one place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side by side, that is the southernmost tip of Florida. The two animals don’t usually fight, but crocodiles, as a species, are generally more aggressive.Jul 26, 2022[6]
What Is A Crocodiles Adaptations
There are special bony flaps in the throat which allow a crocodile to eat when submerged or breathe when its jaws are open underwater. Crocodilians, being cold-blooded reptiles, have to avoid extremes of temperature. When it is fairly cool, they rest on a waterside bank, allowing the sun to warm their body.[7]
What Adaptations Help Crocodiles Catch Their Prey?
Additionally, crocodiles and alligators have a cartilaginous flap attached to the back of the tongue. This flap functions to keep water from entering the animal’s lungs or stomach when the mouth is open underwater. With this flap, crocodiles can capture prey while in or under the water.[8]
What Are 3 Adaptations For A Alligator?
Physical Adaptations:
Powerful tail used for swimming. Eyes and nostrils on the top of their head so they can remain submerged while breathing and keeping an eye out. A “third eyelid” called the nictitating membrane sweeps sideways across the eye to protect the eye during feeding and diving.[9]
Where Do Alligators Live Vs Crocodiles
Geographical Location: Alligators thrive in China and the southeastern portion of the United States, particularly Florida and the states along the Gulf Coast. Crocodiles are native to North, Central, and South America, Africa, Australia, and part of Asia.Feb 4, 2016[10]
Do Alligators And Crocodiles Live In The Same Place?
Location. Crocodiles exist both in freshwater and saltwater, whereas alligators prefer freshwater environments. The Florida Everglades is the only place on earth in which both alligators and crocodiles coexist.[11]
What’S The Difference Between Alligators And Crocodiles?
Alligators are dark green or black, have u-shaped snouts, tiny black spots and are smaller than crocs. Crocodiles are bigger, have v-shaped snouts and are more aggressive. They also have visible bottom teeth and are light green, brown or light grey.[12]
What States Have Alligators Or Crocodiles?
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.[13]
Do Both Alligators And Crocodiles Live In Swamps?
The two reptiles are close relatives. But crocodiles tend to live in saltwater habitats, while alligators hang out in freshwater marshes and lakes.Aug 11, 2011[14]
Were Crocodiles Around When Dinosaurs Were
So crocodiles are not dinosaurs, ancient crocodiles were around before most dinosaurs. They survived the extinction event (like an asteroid) 66 million years ago and are still alive today.Mar 16, 2022[15]
Were There Crocodiles At The Time Of The Dinosaurs?
Modern crocodiles and alligators are almost unchanged from their ancient ancestors of the Cretaceous period (about 145–66 million years ago). That means that animals that were almost identical to the ones you can see today existed alongside dinosaurs!Aug 13, 2017[16]
How Big Were Crocodiles When Dinosaurs Were Around?
Cossette, of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine of Arkansas State University, said that large specimens were 30 to 35 feet long and weighed about 8,000 pounds.[17]
Why Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct But Not Crocodiles?
There are two main reasons. First, crocodiles can live for a very long time without food. Second, they lived in places that were the least affected when the asteroid hit Earth.[18]
How Aggressive Are Saltwater Crocodiles
The study revealed that baby saltwater crocodiles have the same level of aggressiveness as adults who spend their entire lives in the wild. According to biologist Matthew Brien, who led the research, “The saltwater crocodile has a reputation for being one of the most aggressive species in the world as an adult.”Feb 19, 2014[19]
Are Saltwater Crocodiles Aggressive To Humans?
It is now known that saltwater crocodiles are likely responsible for hundreds of attacks on humans annually, though accurate estimates are difficult due to a paucity of data from New Guinea, an area known to have a high level of conflict.[20]
Are Saltwater Crocodiles More Aggressive?
‘World’s Most Aggressive Crocodiles’
In December 2013, a study conducted by researchers at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory found that the saltie was much more aggressive than six other species of crocodiles from around the world.Jan 28, 2014[21]
How Common Are Saltwater Crocodile Attacks?
One study posited the number of attacks by Nile crocodiles per year as 275 to 745, of which 63% are fatal, as opposed to an estimated 30 attacks per year by saltwater crocodiles, of which 50% are fatal.[22]
Is A Saltwater Crocodile More Aggressive Than A Nile Crocodile?
While Nile crocodiles are smaller than saltwater crocodiles, they tend to be much more aggressive than saltwater crocodiles, with a higher rate of attack and fatalities each year, though both species are the top cause of crocodile related incidents each year.[23]
Where Can You Find Saltwater Crocodiles In Australia
The saltwater crocodile population in Australia is estimated at 100,000 to 200,000 adults. Its range extends from Broome, Western Australia through the entire Northern Territory coast all the way south to Rockhampton, Queensland.[24]
Where Are Saltwater Crocodiles Mostly Found?
Habitat. Saltwater crocs, or ‘salties,’ as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea.[25]
Where Are Most Of The Crocodiles In Australia?
There are thought to be around 200,000 Saltwater Crocodiles in Australia, with the most found in the areas surrounding Darwin and the Mary River. Over the years, they have been hunted for their skins and have almost been brought to extinction on a number of occasions.[26]
Are There Saltwater Alligators In Australia?
There are no alligators in Australia, only crocodiles. They can live in either fresh or saltwater and are found across much of the top coast of Australia. Both fresh and saltwater crocodiles live throughout Kakadu National Park, so if you do happen to see one, be sure to ask your guide about which species it may be.[27]
How Far Inland Do Saltwater Crocs Go?
Crocodiles have been known to travel on land up to 1 kilometre.[28]
How Long Have Alligators And Crocodiles Been Around
About 80 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, crocodilians appeared. This group includes alligatoroids, such as Brachychampsa, as well as their close relatives the crocodiles and caimans.[29]
Which Came First Crocodile Or Alligator?
Crocodiles Are Slightly Older Than Alligators
But, their ancestry goes back even farther than that. The animals that would later become crocodiles can be traced back to the Jurassic period. These aquatic crocodiles are known as ‘Thalattosuchia’ and lived over 200 million years ago.[30]
Resources
[1]http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/dwarf-crocodile/
[2]https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/blog/alligators-and-crocodiles/
[3]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/alligator-vs-crocodile-key-differences/
[4]https://www.everythingreptiles.com/alligator-vs-crocodile/
[5]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/can-crocodiles-and-alligators-mate/
[6]https://owlcation.com/stem/Whats-the-difference-between-alligators-and-crocodiles
[7]https://ypte.org.uk/factsheets/crocodile/adaptations-for-a-life-in-water
[8]https://animals.mom.com/adaptations-saltwater-crocodiles-9330.html
[9]http://cincinnatizoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/American-Alligator.pdf
[10]https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/blog/alligators-and-crocodiles/
[11]https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/blog/difference-gators-crocodiles/
[12]https://www.everythingreptiles.com/alligator-vs-crocodile/
[13]https://defenders.org/wildlife/american-crocodile-and-alligator
[14]https://www.livescience.com/15529-alligators-crocodiles-images.html
[15]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/are-crocodiles-dinosaurs/
[16]https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/5-animals-with-prehistoric-ancestors
[17]https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/science/large-crocodile-deinosuchus.html
[18]https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-did-crocodiles-survive-the-asteroid-that-killed-the-dinosaurs-172390
[19]https://www.reptileencounters.com.au/news/how-aggressive-are-crocodiles/
[20]https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-biodiversity/how-australia-s-saltwater-crocodiles-are-being-made-scapegoats-amid-increasing-conflicts-with-humans-79526
[21]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/140127-saltwater-crocodiles-salties-australia-attack-aggression-animals
[22]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_attack
[23]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/saltwater-crocodile-size-comparison/
[24]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile
[25]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/saltwater-crocodile
[26]https://kakadunationalparktours.com.au/blog/quick-facts-about-saltwater-crocodiles/
[27]https://kakadunationalparktours.com.au/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-a-crocodile-and-an-alligator/
[28]https://kimberleycrocmotel.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Be-CROCWISE-Factsheet.pdf
[29]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/facts/brachychampsa-montana
[30]https://www.everythingreptiles.com/alligator-vs-crocodile/