Crocodiles and Alligators.

1. Crocodiles and Alligators. Garrett Crowe. Hamilton - Biology. First Block.

2. Crocodilians Both alligators and crocodiles are types of crocodilians. They can be easily recognized by there long and typically broad snout or there squat appearance.

3. Salt Water Crocodile

4. When Alligators are young, they eat fish, insects, snails, crustaceans, and worms. As they grow, they take progressively larger prey items, including larger fish such as gar, turtles, various mammals, birds, antelope, other reptiles, and sometimes even humans if they feel threatened.

5. Nile Crocodile

6. Protection Both the alligator and the crocodile are very protective of there young. Females guard the eggs from predators. After the eggs are hatched, the mother gently carries her young to a nursery area and watches over them.

7. Chinese Alligator

8. 4 Chambered Heart • Crocodilians have hearts that are completely partitioned into four chambers. This kind of heart is sometimes described as a double pump. One pump moves blood through the lung loop and the other moves blood through the body loop. There is no mixing of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood because the two loops of the circulatory system are completely separated.

9. American Alligator

10. Common Similarities • Both Crocodiles and Alligators are from the same family of reptilians - the Crocodilians. • Their eyes, ears and nostrils are located on the top of the head. • These creatures have a big and powerful tail, which they use for both defense and swimming. • When these creatures float on the surface of the water, their eyes and nostrils slightly project above the surface of the water.

11. Urban Aligator

12. Common Differences • You can't see an alligator's teeth when it's mouth is closed; its lower teeth fit snugly into pits in the upper jaw. In contrast, a crocodile's lower teeth are always visible. • Alligators have a broad snout, while crocodiles have a thinner snout. • Alligators tend to be grayish black in color, whereas crocodiles have a light tan appearance. • Alligators can only be found in the southeastern United States and in some parts of China. Crocodiles can be found all over the world. • In the wild, alligators tend to run away. They certainly prefer their own company. Some species of crocodiles, on the other hand, have legendary tempers. The Saltwater Crocodile and the Nile Crocodile have been known to eat people. • Crocodiles may live in either fresh or salt water and are native to Africa, India, and southeast Asia. While alligators only live in fresh water and are found almost exclusively in north and south america.

14. Fun Facts Male alligators on average are 13 feet long and weigh about 1,000 pounds. Females usually do not reach 10 feet. Airplanes in America collide with an average of 1 alligator a year on runways. Alligators jaw muscles used for biting are very strong. However, the muscles an alligator uses to open its mouth are weak—one can hold the jaw shut with bare hands or a piece of duck tape. An alligator cannot move its tongue, and must raise its head to swallow. To hatch, baby alligators use their egg tooth (at the tip of their jaw) to break the egg.

15. Work Cited • http://bestfunfacts.com/alligators.html • http://ask.yahoo.com/20010405.html • http://blake4d.hubpages.com/hub/Similarities-and-differences-in-Alligators-vs-Crocodiles • www.google.com/pictures • http://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/alligator-vs-crocodile.htm