American alligators vs Man In Wild

American alligators are large crocodilians found only in the United States. They can grow to be more than 12 feet (3.6 meters) in length and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), with males being slightly larger than females on average. The animal’s dark skin is armored with small, bony scales called scutes.

A long, powerful tail helps propel the animal through water, as do webbed feet. They are cold-blooded and depend on the natural world around them to provide warmth. To do this, they will bask in the sun or dig holes in mud to trap heat. Although American alligators can be hard to miss while basking on the shore, they can look eerily like logs when floating in the water.

A cousin of the alligator, the American crocodile, is very rare in the U.S. and only a few thousand individuals live on the southern tip of Florida. The best way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is by looking at the mouth. Alligators have a wide, round snout, while crocodiles have a long, thin snout. Crocodiles also have two large teeth that stick out when their mouth is closed.