Are Alligators the Same as Crocodiles?

No, but it often takes a very close look to see the difference, and who wants to get that close to either one of them!

Alligators and crocodiles are both long, cigar-shaped reptiles, with four short legs, powerful tails, long snouts, and scales, or plates, covering their bodies.

If you see a broad, rounded snout on a crocodile, you are really looking at an alligator, for a crocodile's snout is pointed. Also, the crocodile is lighter, moves more quickly, and Is more vicious than an alligator.

The muscles that close an alligator's jaws are very strong, but once those jaws are closed, they can be held together by a person's bare hands or by a keeper's chin against his chest.