Gator or Croc?The photo above is a crocodile. Here is how you'd know.
They get mixed up constantly, and the confusion is understandable — but once you know where to look, you will never mistake one for the other again.
The Five Tells
If you only remember one, remember the fourth tooth. It is the tell that works on a bad photograph from an awkward angle.
| Look at… | Alligator | Crocodile |
|---|---|---|
| Snout shape | Broad and U-shaped, blunt at the tip | Narrower and V-shaped, more pointed |
| Teeth when the mouth is shut | Upper jaw is wider, so the lower teeth — including the big fourth — disappear into pits | The large fourth lower tooth sits outside the upper lip, clearly visible |
| Colour | Darker, blackish-grey | More olive-green to brown |
| Water | Freshwater animal; tolerates brackish water but lacks strong salt glands | Functional salt glands — comfortable in saltwater and even open ocean |
| Temperament | Generally the less aggressive of the two toward people | Generally more aggressive — though both are dangerous if provoked or crowded |
“Look at my mouth when it's shut. You see a tidy row of top teeth and nothing else. A croc smiles with the bottom ones out. It's showing off.”
Two of Us, Fourteen of Them
There are exactly two alligator species: the American alligator, spread across the south-eastern United States, and the Chinese alligator, hanging on in the Yangtze River basin. That's the whole family.
Crocodiles run to around fourteen species across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, in habitats from rivers and wetlands to estuaries and open sea. Those salt glands are the reason a crocodile can turn up somewhere an alligator never could.
Conservation status splits the same way. The American alligator is a recovery story. The Chinese alligator is critically endangered. Among crocodiles, status varies wildly by species — several are in serious trouble.
Sort the Line-Up
Eight photographs, no captions, no hints until you commit. Check the snout, then the teeth. Every one of these is a real photo from the park's media library.
← Alligator
Crocodile →
“In phase two this becomes a proper drag-and-drop with a timer and a leaderboard. For now, just point at the right bin. I ate the timer.”
Exhibit complete
You can identify one. Next: find out where it lives, what it builds, and how close it came to disappearing.