Alligator
| Alligators | |
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| An American Alligator in captivity at the Columbus Zoo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Crocodilia |
| Family: | Alligatoridae |
| Genus: | Alligator Daudin, 1809 |
| Species | |
An Alligator is a group of animals in the order Crocodilia. The genus Alligator has two living species, the American Alligator and the Chinese Alligator.
Together with the caimans, the Gharials and the Crocodiles they make up the order Crocodilia, the crocodile-like. The difference between an alligator and a crocodile is, that you can not see the fourth tooth in the lower jaw of an alligator when the alligator's mouth is closed. You can see the fourth tooth in the lower jaw of a crocodile when its mouth is closed. Sometimes it is said, that alligators have as wide a snout as crocodiles have a narrow snout, but there are also some crocodiles with wide snouts. It can reach 19 feet ( 6 meters) and weigh 1,200 pounds.
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A Chinese alligator
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An American alligator
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Wikispecies has information on: Alligator. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alligator |
