Do you know crocodiles and alligators?

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3 years ago

Crocodiles and alligators have always caught my attention. I never learned the difference between them, although I could always notice many differences between them, I could not differentiate them properly. For example, I could see the ugly teeth that protrude from the crocodiles’ jaws that can’t be seen on alligators. I also observed that, in movies and documentaries, the crocodiles were very aggressive in attacking their prey when they crossed the river.

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Seeing this I wanted to do my own research to see what their differences were and this is what I was able to find out. If you like these animals, of course in nature, come and learn together with me about the differences between the two; it can probably make a difference when you see them again in a documentary on your television, from the tranquility of your home.

Crocodiles and alligators are not the same. They don't even have the same characteristics.

Nile crocodiles are the largest in the world. They measure up to 6 meters. They are able to eat a whole wildebeest and up to 200 human beings are eaten according to statistics in a year.

Nile crocodiles have a very bad reputation. They can eat half their weight in a single meal and they eat in groups with a lot of violence generally, while American crocodiles are solitary and eat alone. In contrast, alligators are carnivores of small animals and are not usually as violent as crocodiles.

The alligators are smaller in relation to the crocodile. They also fight each other for the right to mate, they do rituals to earn the right to the female. They make a sound under the water when they are going to mate that makes thousands of bubbles rise in the water, it is called the water dance, and males do it to seduce the female, after having won the fight with his rival.

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Then the winner of the fight after his dance gets the female and is very loving with his partner. The female crocodile will make her nest and lay her eggs on the edge of the swamp and she is vigilant of her eggs until the young are born.

Crocodiles and alligators fiercely protect their young. For two months they have waited for them to be born and then when their young are born, they are placed in between his teeth in and taken to the water, where they take care of them for about a year while they grow.

Crocodiles are born with a sharp point in their mouth to break their shells, although their mother helps them if she sees them in trouble by the time they are born.

Baby alligators stay with their mother. The baby is no bigger than a frog. They have their own enemies in nature but their mother will protect them if they stay by her side.

Adult crocodiles can go up to a year without food, and their bodies waste away from the inside until they can manage to eat.

Alligators are abundant in the state of Florida. They are greater than crocodiles in number. And they can survive by eating small animals on the banks of the swamp.

Alligators can walk quickly on land as long as those are short distances because then they get tired and must return to the water. It opens its mouth to cool off, on the edge of the swamp. While the birds perch on his body and manage to clean the remains that remain in his mouth, between his sharp teeth.

Alligators have a wide “u” shaped snout while crocodiles have a thin “v” shaped snout.

Alligators have an upper jaw larger than the lower one and when they close their mouth their teeth are hidden, but the crocodile has its jaw the same size and when it closes its snout the teeth are out and can be seen.

Alligators are prepared to live in fresh water, their body cannot survive in salt water. While crocodiles have their bodies prepared to live in both waters, both sweet and salty.

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3 years ago

Comments

So alligators seem like better pets than crocodiles? And they seem more adaptable. Never seen an alligator before. It's mostly crocodiles displayed in zoos here

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3 years ago

We have crocodiles and alligators in our waters. I'll write about them later.

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3 years ago

Like, near where you really live? Not thenones in captive???

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3 years ago

I don't recall seeing the crocodiles in captivity. I once saw a caiman in two different houses in their yards. In towns where there are lagoons and rivers, it is common to see alligators and a smaller one with another name. I'll see if I can get that post about our river crocs.

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3 years ago

I wonder if they're kept as pets there if it's that abundant there. I don't even get to see any here but there, you better be careful not to run into them 😂

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3 years ago

In those houses where I saw them they have alligators as pets. But they have fences around them, they are not free in the yard, no, no. I went to a lagoon to take photos but they quickly spilled into the water. They were sunbathing on the shore and when they saw me approaching they left. Perhaps because their best attack environment is water and not land. I don't think they were afraid of me, they would just think that I brought them breakfast in person hahaha.

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3 years ago

Oh wow so they can be kept as pets- and that's dangerous 😂😂😂 why did you go so near them, they might have attacked or dragged you into the water with them had you not been more careful. You can't be alligator food 😞 that would be bad

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3 years ago

But I think for these difficult times the alligators must have been thrown into the river again. I approached because I was young, I didn't know anything about them and I thought that I could run backwards again if they attacked me. Now I couldn't get that close to them anymore.

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3 years ago

Well they eat a lot so it's understandable that they'd be back in rivers

Ohh you did it when you were younger 😅 i thought you did so recently while going on your walk

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3 years ago

I was about 20 years old when I was working in the rural area as a nurse.

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3 years ago

So that was the time you saw them XD definitely young enough to escape

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3 years ago

I knew that there are some differences between crocodiles and alligators.I do not like these animals.They look scary.I watched many movies where these animals were included.These were unpleasant movies

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3 years ago

Many years ago I did not love many animals either. Then I decided to learn more about them to be able to have more tolerance towards them and thus little by little I have learned to integrate more and more many species into my life. I recently decided to learn about crocodiles and just included them in my life. I decided to learn about spiders and I included them in my life last year. I love nature and I want to learn to integrate more species into my life. Everything is in us if you decide not to love them you will never love them.

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3 years ago

Crocodiles are aristocrats of the fauna! Fantastically well adapted to their natural environment. You may be interested in reading something I wrote some months ago, even if it is more culture than zoology: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-sacred-crocodiles-of-egypt-635185a8

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3 years ago

I'm excited to hear about crocodiles. Although man is the crocodile's worst enemy, I like to see each species in its environment.

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3 years ago

Yes, I agree. Every species has the right to live its life on its own conditions in its own environment. That's also how animals should be seen. I think a zoo is a tragic place. It just makes me sad.

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3 years ago

It's true, I don't like zoos unless they are sanctuaries where they care about endangered species. But where they keep the animals just for vanity, no, I don't like them at all.

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3 years ago

I also found them the same. Aside from the name.

So the crocodiles are more frightening than alligators and the one with protruding teeth even when close.Now I have the hint.😅

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3 years ago

Yes, the truth is I wanted to know the difference because some look different from others and now when I watch the documentaries I will know which one it is just by seeing their faces.

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3 years ago

Right😀. thanks for sharing what you learned from the documentation. I learned from it.

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3 years ago

Sure, we all learn, thanks for coming to read and share your opinion.

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3 years ago

Welcome😊

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3 years ago