Which is bigger crocodile or alligator?
An adult crocodile can grow several feet longer than an alligator. American alligators have been known to grow to 14 feet long, with females rarely exceeding 10 feet in length. The American crocodile has the potential to grow to 20 feet long, though it is usually not that large in the wild.
The Size Difference of the Two Reptiles
Typically, the alligator will grow between six and 12 feet in length but have been recorded at up to 19 feet. The crocodile is the largest of reptiles today, growing up to 20 feet long.
Typically, crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators, which makes crocodiles more dangerous than alligators. Alligators are opportunistic feeders, meaning that they're not likely to chase you down unless they're provoked. However, that certainly doesn't mean that you should swim with them.
Alligator vs. Crocodile: Who Would Win in a Fight? Crocodiles win the fight because they're bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than alligators.
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is also found in south Florida, among other places. South Florida is the only place you can find both animals in the wild. To distinguish the two, alligators have a more U-shaped snout while crocodiles have a more pointed or V-shaped one.
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) are a shy and reclusive species. They live in coastal areas throughout the Caribbean, and occur at the northern end of their range in south Florida. They live in brackish or saltwater areas, and can be found in ponds, coves, and creeks in mangrove swamps.
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.
Humans can be faster on land than crocodiles, but crocodiles are much faster in water. The average human being can run at speeds of 6.5 and 8 mph, but they can reach 27.5 mph during a full sprint. Meanwhile, crocodiles can move at speeds of about 3 to 5 mph on land, but they can't maintain that speed for very long.
An alligator's bite weighs in at about 2,500 psi. That's nothing compared to the crocodile, though, which has a bite force of about 3,700 psi–higher than some industrial pressure washers! Crocodiles not only have stronger jaws than alligators, they have the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom.
A crocodile would win a fight against a gorilla. Most of the fights would begin in or near water, and a gorilla doesn't stand a chance in that scenario. If a crocodile bit and dragged the gorilla into the water, then it's a simple victory.
Do crocodiles and alligators ever meet?
Everglades National Park is also the only place in the world where Alligators coexist with Crocodiles. In fact, the Everglades is the only place in the United States where one can see Crocodiles. It is the mixture of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee and saltwater from the ocean that makes this dual existence possible.
Alligators can climb trees. Scientific studies have shown that both alligators and crocodiles can climb trees, and this behavior is occasionally captured on camera. Essentially, it depends on how much they weigh and whether the trees can support them.

There are many things you may encounter when swimming in the ocean. Alligators probably aren't one of them. While alligators can tolerate salt water for a few hours or even days, they are primarily freshwater animals, living in swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.
Alligators are usually found in freshwater, swamps, rivers, ponds, and lakes and are rarely found in the ocean. However, a 10-foot-long alligator basked in the sun at a beach in Florida recently and returned to the sea after a while.
In response to an incoming hurricane, alligators usually find shelter where they can move in and out easily, usually in caves or burrows under mud or a canal. To stay safe, some alligators might altogether change foraging patterns before the storm.
According to the many studies done on these reptilian marvels, most American crocodiles tend to live closer to the northern end of South Florida. They require a warm tropical climate. You will find them in saltwater regions like river estuaries, large ponds, creeks, mangrove swamps and even coves.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, Lake George, near the St. Johns River in northeast Florida, has the most-- more than 2,300.
But there are American crocodiles and there have been recent sightings in Sanibel and an eight-foot crocodile in Brevard County on Florida's East Coast. As development continues to expand in the Sunshine State, more sightings are likely.
The researchers discovered that saltwater crocodiles do indeed travel great distances in open ocean water to reach distant islands. They showed that crocodiles could “surf”; one saltie even surfed over 366 miles in 25 days. To accomplish this, crocodiles only swim when the tide is with them.
Alligators and caimans are mainly freshwater crocodilians – their lingual glands don't effectively secrete salt. But American alligators regularly inhabit brackish waters in estuaries, mangrove swamps and saltmarshes. The larger ones can even endure short intervals in full-strength seawater.
Can crocodiles bond with humans?
In rare cases, individual crocodilians have been known to bond so strongly with people that they become playmates for years. For example, a man who rescued a crocodile that had been shot in the head became close friends with the animal. They happily played every day until the crocodile's death 20 years later.
Never provoke, harass or interfere with crocodiles, even small ones. Never feed crocodiles — it is illegal and dangerous. Be extra vigilant around water at night and during the breeding season from September to April. Avoid approaching the edge of the water and don't paddle or wade at the edge of the water.
Splashing in water will only draw attention. If a crocodile heads your way, run away in a straight line. The myth about moving in a zig-zag motion is just that—a myth. Crocodiles can move at 10 miles per hour, so remove those flip-flops so you can run faster.
"Lions are wary of crocodiles and will generally avoid the water to stay away from crocs," writes NatGeo TV.
The crocodile is simply too large and powerful for the lion to defeat. If the crocodile was able to ambush a lion that was drinking out water from a river, then the fight would be over immediately. The crocodile would drag the lion under and easily kill it.
The largest crocodile species will easily beat even the largest gorillas, especially if they are able to drag them into the water. Yet despite that, the gorilla's strength should not be doubted. They're agile and can jump from tree to tree, making them ...
The crocodile could use its immense weight to pull the bear into the water with them and inflict massive trauma in short order. On land, the bear could possibly win a fight if it managed to flip over a crocodile and attack its underside.
Tiger Sharks Eat Crocodiles
Saltwater crocodiles are among the largest growing crocodiles and the most ferocious. Despite this, they are often prey for tiger sharks. Others, such as bull sharks, are also known to hunt crocodiles. But tiger sharks remain the top predator – winning fights 9 out of 10 times.
If the fight were to happen on land, a rhino might have the upper hand against a saltwater croc because it is more used to living on land. However, if a fight started close to the water or in the water directly, the crocodile would likely defeat the rhino.
Apart from humans, gorillas don't really have enemies. The only predator to prey on gorillas is the leopard. Walter Baumgärtel found the remains of several gorillas after they had been killed by leopards in the Virunga Volcanoes.
Could a crocodile beat a tiger?
There is a slim chance of it happening, but a crocodile could fatally attack a tiger swimming in its territory. Tiger cubs are much more at risk of being taken down by a predator, with hyenas, crocodiles, and snakes all targeting these juveniles due to their smaller size and lack of experience in hunting and combat.
Key Points: The strongest land animal in the world is the elephant. The typical Asian elephant has 100,000 muscles and tendons arranged along the length of the trunk, enabling it to lift almost 800 pounds.
An elephant would win a fight against an alligator.
Alligators are too prone to stomp attacks from an elephant, and they cannot inflict fatal wounds on an elephant. They can't bite and death-roll an elephant's leg, and they certainly can't reach an elephant's head.
Due to the large size and highly aggressive nature of these apex predators, adult crocodiles have very few predators within their natural environments with the exception of occasional takings by big cats such as lions, jaguars, and tigers.
It's certainly not unheard of for crocodiles to target sharks (and vice versa), but this tends to happen when one animal is significantly smaller than the other.
Some of the more popular areas in Central Florida that aren't occupied by alligators or sharks are freshwater spring-fed rivers. Some of these may include: Ichetucknee Springs, Madison Blue Spring, Withlacoochee, and Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail.
Did you know that the Everglades National Park is the only ecosystem in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist side by side? Although alligators only thrive in fresh water because they can't digest salt, crocodiles can live in both fresh and salt water.
They have been seen climbing the rock faces of waterfalls. They will often go around a vertical obstacle like a waterfall to make it to the next pool upstream. The main reason is that young male crocodiles will be trying to establish their own territories. Crocodiles will not stay long in small waterholes.
In addition, members of both sexes may produce a loud roar during the breeding season. A roaring crocodile tenses the muscles of its body so that the head and tail rise high out of the water.
The good news is you can outrun an alligator. An alligator can only speed up a hundred feet or so. It gets tired quickly. So you'll be fine as long as you have the stamina to keep running and put distance between the two of you.
What are alligators most afraid of?
Alligators have a natural fear of humans, and usually begin a quick retreat when approached by people. If you have a close encounter with an alligator a few yards away, back away slowly. It is extremely rare for wild alligators to chase people, but they can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances on land.
Alligators like airboat rides too! In south Florida a gator jumped into an airboat while it was stopped. This is why we do not stop too close to the wildlife we see on our tours!
Southern Florida is the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators co-exist. Like snakes, alligators brumate during the winter – only they do it in the water. They stick their snouts above the surface so they can breathe and remain in the water while hardly moving until the temperatures warm up.
A shark would win a fight against an alligator.
The alligator can bite and thrash, and it might do some damage to the shark. However, the initial bite from a shark, which is almost guaranteed to land, will do such immense damage to the alligator that it won't be able to effectively fight back.
A hippo would win a fight against a crocodile. Although crocodiles are large, powerful creatures, they cannot kill a fully-grown hippo. Hippos are large, round animals that are much taller than crocodiles. The only place they would be vulnerable to attack is their legs.
A shark would win a fight against a crocodile for many reasons. A shark would have the sensing advantage over a crocodile, easily finding the other creature first. At that point, the shark would go on the offensive, attacking the crocodile at full speed, landing the critical first blow.
Step 2: Run away as Fast as Possible
If you encounter a crocodile on land, run away as fast as possible. Crocodiles can run very fast when they are about to attack. So, skip those "running in zigzag motion" advice and run in a straight line as fast as you can. The goal is to get away from the croc as far as possible.
The crocodile is simply too large and powerful for the lion to defeat. If the crocodile was able to ambush a lion that was drinking out water from a river, then the fight would be over immediately. The crocodile would drag the lion under and easily kill it.
A crocodile would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Crocodiles are simply too large and too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fight back against. One likely outcome would be the crocodile waiting for the Komodo dragon in the water and dragging it beneath the waves to suffer a brutal death.
Nile crocodiles, lions, and spotted hyenas are known to prey on young hippos. Beyond these, adult hippos are not usually preyed upon by other animals due to their aggression and size. Cases where large lion prides have successfully preyed on adult hippos have been reported, but it is generally rare.
Would a gorilla or a hippo win in a fight?
If a fight occurred between a hippo and a gorilla it is obvious that a hippo severely outmatches even the largest of gorillas and strongest gorillas. In a fight, a hippo can easily kill a gorilla by either charging through them or using its large mouth to take them out.
Killer “whales,” which are actually dolphins, are apex predators, and their diet includes fish, squid, seals, sea birds and whales larger than themselves, according to the Natural History Museum in London. They are the only known predators of great white sharks.
Made of very strong and thick bone, dolphin snouts are biological battering rams. Dolphins will position themselves several yards under a shark and burst upwards jabbing their snout into the soft underbelly of the shark causing serious internal injuries. More than Peas in a Pod.
A great white shark would win a fight against a saltwater crocodile. These deadly creatures are incredibly powerful, but the great white shark has an amazing advantage in the water. Not only would this animal probably notice the crocodile first, but it also has the speed to land a devastating attack.
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