Although the alligator and crocodile are both reptiles, the alligator belongs to the alligatorinae subfamily and the crocodile to the crocodylinae subfamily. There are two kinds of alligators.the first kind of alligator there is, is the alligator mississippiensis or the american alligator. The babies do not reach maturity until six years old mathewson 18.the second kind of alligator is the alligator sinensis or the chinese alligator. But a bite from any alligator could result in a serious infection alligator 229. The american alligator is one of the largest reptiles in the world weighing from 450 to 500 pounds.

The alligator and the crocodile are very similar in appearance but there is a difference. The american alligator has a stockier build and broader head and facial features. In south carolina growth rates of alligators were thought to be slower, but it seems that alligators reach sexual maturity at a later age and larger body size than alligators elsewhere.

Their genus is alligator and their species is alligator messissipiensis and they are known as american alligators. Alligator farming is now a thriving business, with the estimated 30 + alligator farms in the state of florida kill approximately 30 50 alligators a day.

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If you need high quality, fresh and competent research / writing done on the subject of zoology, use the professional writing service offered by our company. The american crocodile crocodiles acutus crocodylus acutus, or more commonly referred to as the american crocodile. Is the second most widely distributed of the new world crocodiles, ranging from the southern tip of florida, both the atlantic and pacific coasts of southern mexico, as well as the caribbean islands of cuba, jamaica, and hispaniola 1 species. These areas provide the perfect climate for these endangered species that have roamed the earth for over 200 million years. Florida is known for its large population of american alligators, which are often confused for the rare american crocodile.

Hunted for their hides and the changing of their habitat to beach front property is slowly pushing the american crocodile out of florida, the only place it is found in the united states. For 190 million years before the first humans evolved, huge populations of crocodilians, in more or less their present form, inhabited the waters and shorelines of rivers, lakes, swamps, and estuaries of tropical and subtropical lands. Today they represent the last true survivors of the huge reptiles that once dominated the seas and landmasses of earth for over 200 million years 6 levy. It is inappropriate to treat crocodilians as living fossils whose inferiority forced them into a marginal ecological role as amphibious predators in a world now dominated by mammals. In fact, they are highly specialized for their particular mode of life and have undergone considerable changes during their long evolutionary history. Among living vertebrates, crocodilians are most closely related to birds rather than to lizards 14.

Even though these two groups are now adapted to different modes of life, they both have an elongate outer ear canal, a muscular gizzard, and complete separation of the ventricles of the heart. They are elongated, armored, and lizard like, with a muscular, laterally shaped tail used in swimming. The snout is also elongated, with the nostrils set to the end to allow breathing while most of the body remains submerged under water. The success of the crocodile is evidenced by the relatively few changes that have occurred since crocodilians first appeared about 200 million years ago.

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The crocodile belongs to the family crocodylinae, which consists of those organisms sharing common crocodilian traits. This family is further divided into three subfamilies: alligatorinae alligators , gavialinae gharial , and crocodylinae crocodiles. Very often the american alligator alligatorinae mississippiensis is confused for an american crocodile, even though these two species are of the same family they are different in many ways. The alligator has a much broader snout and the crocodile a much narrower snout . Another characteristic seen in the american crocodile and not the alligator is the front two teeth that penetrate the upper jaw from below as they grow. A not so recognizable difference between the american crocodile and alligator is the crocodile's ability to regulate saltwater balance in their body.

Crocodiles maintain salt concentrations in their body fluid at the typical level of other vertebrates, which is about one third that of seawater. The osmoregulatory problems posed by life in fresh or saline waters are related to the amounts of water and salts exchanged across various body surfaces. Loss of salts and water occurs in feces and urine, through respiration, excretion from salt glands in the tongue, and through the skin. The ability of the american crocodile to tolerate salt water is related to their low rate of water loss, low rate of sodium uptake, the ability to excrete excess sodium, and their ability to osmoregulate regularly behaviorally by not drinking saline water or by seeking fresh water after feeding in saline areas. The american crocodiles will not drink seawater even when they are dehydrated and the american alligator will. While the american crocodile is able to regulate its salinity it is not able to maintain a constant body temperature.

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Crocodiles utilize a complex series of physiological and behavioral mechanisms to maintain an even body temperature. When their body temperature drops, they use solar radiation to heat their bodies as they emerge from the water to bask in shallow waters or on the shoreline. As their temperature rises they hold their mouths agape to allow some evaporative cooling.

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Sometimes crocodiles will partially bask in the sun with their tail or head in the water, this allows them to optimally adjust their temperatures. Body temperature can also be adjusted by shunting blood towards or away from their surface. As crocodiles cool the superficial blood vessels constrict, thereby limiting the amount of heat loss at the animal's surface and maintaining a steady core temperature. Another temperature regulating strategy is mud bathing, which provides another layer of insulation against extremes in environmental temperatures.

The american crocodile is found in subtropical to tropical area, were it is optimal for body temperature regulation. It is considered an estuarine species that is capable of migrating through salt water. It is quite the sea going species ranging from equador along the pacific coast to western mexico, and from eastern mexico to guatemala, the coastal areas of colombia and venezuela, and north through the caribbean to the southernmost tip of florida 40 guggisberg. This species is the common resident of coastal habitats, large rivers, and lakes within its range 65 ross. Populations are known from freshwater areas located well inland, including a number of reservoirs 1 species.

Acutus can be found in mangrove swamps and saltwater marshes with sandy, undisturbed high spots 10b sun sentinel. Historically, crocodiles have lived in florida from cape sable to lake worth in palm beach county, and fewer numbers, up to sanibel on the west coast. The largest population in florida has always lived in the extreme southern end of the peninsula.