Tips: How to tell an alligator from a crocodile #ReptileMonday

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And no, dad joke enthusiasts, the answer isn’t that you see one later and the other after a while...
The most obvious way to discern the two reptiles is to stare down their sinister snouts. Alligators have U-shaped faces that are wide and short, while crocodiles have slender almost V-shaped muzzles. And if you’re daring enough, take a gander at their chompers. When an alligator closes its mouth, you tend to see only its upper teeth. Crocodiles on the other hand flash a toothy grin with their top and bottom teeth interlacing.

The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is the largest of the four crocodile species found in Africa.

5 Fascinating Facts About the Nile Crocodile:
  1. Crocodiles have the strongest bite in the animal kingdom. The Nile crocodile is no different. It's bite can exert a force eight times more powerful than that of a Great White Shark and 15 times more than a Rottweiler’s, powerful muscles for closing the jaws.
  2. Female crocodiles exhibit impressive maternal care. They use their massive jaws to transport newly hatched young to a ‘nursery pool’ where they guard them from predators.
  3. The sex of crocodile hatchlings is determined by the temperature at which the eggs incubate. At 30ºC or less they will be mostly female; at 31ºC they will be mixed; and at 32ºC, they will be mostly male.
  4. Crocodiles are the most vocal of reptiles. Among more than five different calls are the deep, vibrating bellow of courting males and the ‘peeping’ of babies inside the egg. This 'peeping' encourages the female to excavate the nest.
  5. Large crocodiles swallow stones, known as gastroliths. These act as ballast, helping them to balance their body underwater.

If you enjoyed this blog post, share it with a friend and don't  forget to join us for next week's #ReptileMonday.


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