Dear Brooks,

It is hard to know for certain which of these animals is the strongest. One way that we might be able to determine which is strongest would be to look at how big they can grow. The largest American alligator on record was about 19 feet long and weighed about 1,000 lbs. The largest crocodile is the saltwater crocodile of Australia and surrounding islands. The largest saltwater crocodile on record was over 23 feet long and weighed over 2,000 lbs. So if we go by size the saltwater crocodile would be strongest.

Alligators and crocodiles are kin to each other. They are both reptiles and are in the same family. Alligators are in one part of the family and crocodiles are in another part. The alligator that we have in this country is the American alligator. This alligator is found in greatest numbers in Louisiana and Florida but is also found in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South and North Carolina and Texas. Small numbers are also seen in other states. In the 1950's and 1960's only a few alligators were left in the wild and people were afraid that they all might die. Laws were passed to protect them and now there are lots of alligators. We even have alligators in Lee County. There is also another kind of alligator that lives in China. This alligator is called the Chinese alligator. Not many Chinese alligators are left and laws have been passed to protect the few left in the wild. Another kind of reptile that is like the alligator and crocodile is the caiman. Caiman live in South and Central America. Most of them live in and around the Amazon River.

There are more kinds of crocodiles than alligators. Some crocodiles live in freshwater and some live in saltwater. Most crocodiles live in Africa, Australia and India. There are also some crocodiles in Central and South America. We even have one kind of crocodile in the United States. The American crocodile lives along the southern tip of Florida. Only a few American crocodiles are left in the wild. Laws have been passed to protect them.

Alligators and crocodiles look alike but there are a few ways to tell them apart. Alligators have a wide, rounded, U-shaped snout. The snout of the crocodile is not as wide as the alligators and is more pointed and V-shaped. Their teeth are also different and can be used to tell one from the other. The fourth tooth on the lower jaw can be seen on the crocodile when he has his mouth closed. You cannot see the alligator's fourth tooth on the lower jaw when his mouth is closed.

If you need to know more about alligators and crocodiles you can go to http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-crocodile.html. They also have some good pictures of alligators and crocodiles.

Thank you for your question,

Aubie and Dr. Newton