Alligators are old hat here in Florida. We see them all the time. My kids have touched many babies whose jaws were taped shut. I’ve never bicycled through Shark Valley without passing several gators in my path.
But crocodiles…whew… they seem downright dangerous.
I once attended an Otter John animal show at the library with my children. He brought in all kinds of wild animals and at one point explained the differences between crocodiles and alligators.
Crocs live in salt water. Gators live in fresh water
Crocs have V-shaped jaws with teeth on the outside. Gators jaws are U-shaped and enclose their teeth.
Scariest of all, crocodiles are very aggressive. Gators tend to mind their own business if we mind ours. Their brain has actually evolved a bit more.
Crocs are endangered because their habitat, ocean coasts, is prime human real estate. Gators are thriving in the Everglades.
I finally remembered to take my telephoto lens to the zoo. These are pictures of the Cuban Crocodile. That’s the reason you got a reptilian primer today. It was either that or make a wisecrack about my Cuban husband.
Happy Monday, y’all. You learned something.
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