Alligator Vs Crocodile Research Paper

Crocodile or Alligator, What’s the Difference? “See you later alligator, not for a while crocodile” are lyrics from a ridiculed song, performed in the famous movie, Rock Around the Clock. In 1956, the song focused towards 50’s teens mocked for their foolish slang. The lyrics were thought to be crazy; however, they do present some truth, alligators and crocodiles are in fact two separate reptiles. The two reptiles, to a carless glance, look identical, but by turning attention towards their habitats, physical attributes, biological families, and habits, differences are found. A large difference in the two reptiles is where they live. A crocodile can be found almost anywhere in the world, “especially Central America and most of the Eastern

The dark colors are mostly because of the darkened swamps and marshes gators live in. Swamps and marshes create great homes for the fierce alligator, but they also leave space for predators to the alligator. The dark skin allows a camo protection from predators like large cat, snakes, or even birds depending on the size of the gator (ADMIN). Crocodiles also need to watch out for oncoming predators, but since a difference in habitat, “[they] tend to be lighter in color and more tan or brown than green” (“What’s the Difference”). The sun drying environment they live in, makes plants and habitats lighter in color allowing their lighter skin to blend in. Depending on whether the environment is hot and dry or wet and dark, alligators and crocodiles can be

All animals are connected, but they aren’t all the same. In order to follow the connection of animals, a pattern was discovered. The pattern narrows species into different classifications; the first classification being the whole animal kingdom. Two of the smaller classifications, order and family, open a window to where biologically, an alligator and crocodile are different. First, the two types of reptiles can be found in the same order, Crocodilia, but not in the same family. Alligators are placed in the Alligatoridae Family while crocodiles are placed in the Crocodylidae Family. A family in biology terms is “A taxonomic group of one or more genera, especially sharing a common attribute” (“Family”). Alligators and crocodiles don’t share a genus, making them not phylogenetically related or in other words not the