Who will truly win the battle?

Alligators and crocodiles are descendants of ancient ancestors who lived with dinosaurs. Their last common ancestor lived between 90 and 100 million years ago. Since then, both organisms have developed extreme physical properties, making them top predators in their habitats.

But which of the two is stronger?

The main physical difference

There are two existing alligators-American alligators and Chinese alligators. The former is the larger of the two, with a male American alligator measuring 15 feet in length and weighing 1,000 pounds. The male Chinese alligator grows to about 5 feet and weighs about 85 pounds.

Crocodiles are more diverse, with 14 different species. The largest of these is the saltwater crocodile, which can grow to 23 feet and weigh 2,200 pounds. Nile crocodiles and American crocodiles can grow to about 20 feet.

Frank T. Burbrink, head of the Herpetology Department at the American Museum of Natural History, told Weekly newspaper The easiest way to distinguish between crocodiles and alligators is from the shape of their heads.

“A crocodile’s head (U-shape) is usually wider than a crocodile (V-shape). When the crocodile closes its mouth, you can only see the upper teeth,” he said.

“In contrast, crocodiles have narrower noses, and their lower teeth are visible when their mouths are closed. In addition, crocodiles tend to have shorter humerus and femurs.”

Adam Rosenblatt from the University of North Florida told Weekly newspaper: “The shape of the head is the biggest morphological difference. In addition, the skin of a crocodile is lighter, while the skin of a crocodile is darker.”

Wolfgang Wüster, a zoology reader at Bangor University in the United Kingdom, also pointed out the difference in their snouts: “Basically, if you can see the lower teeth protruding from the mouth, it’s a crocodile. “He said. Weekly newspaper.

Which can run faster?

The saltwater crocodile is the fastest of all crocodiles, swimming at a speed of 15 to 18 miles per hour. American alligators are faster, reaching speeds of up to 20 mph in the water.

However, both are much slower on land. Their bodies are not made for endurance running, so although they are very fast in short bursts, they cannot maintain this speed. A saltwater crocodile was recorded moving at a speed of 12 meters per second. This is equivalent to nearly 27 mph. But this is only a quarter of a second.

On land, saltwater crocodiles can run for longer periods of time at about 8 to 9 mph. The American alligator can move at a similar speed and can run short distances at speeds of 7.5 to 9 mph.

The average person can sprint for a short time at a speed of 12 to 18 mph. The fastest human ever, Usain Bolt, can run at 27 miles per hour. Therefore, on land, ordinary people may run faster than crocodiles or crocodiles, as long as they are not within the attack range of crocodiles or crocodiles.

If a crocodile or alligator is chasing you, running in a zigzag pattern is usually recommended. However, in an article about living with alligators, experts from the University of Florida said that this is a myth: “This is a common misunderstanding. First of all, alligators rarely hunt humans because they are too big to be Be a suitable prey. However, if the crocodiles do make a violent charge, run fast and straight (of course, away from the crocodiles). They usually don’t run very far. But remember, if you are close to their nest, They are most likely to charge you.”

The Department of Parks and Wildlife of Western Australia also refuted this, saying: “Run in a straight line as fast as possible because the crocodile can only control a short-term speed when it comes out of the water, but it cannot maintain this speed for a long time.”

Which is more dangerous?

“Crocodiles may be more dangerous, but many of the reasons people think they are more dangerous are the density of human habitation and the frequency of negative contact between humans and crocodiles or alligators,” Bobrink said.

Crocodile attack Every year, about 1 person is killed in the United States, accounting for about 6% of all crocodile creatures’ attacks on humans in the world. They often occur when a person is swimming or wading by the water. The University of Florida stated that although unprovoked alligator attacks do occur, they are usually preventable and have a low mortality rate. In the United States, approximately 4% of attacks are fatal, and most encounters result in bites and immediate release.

brine Nile crocodiles cause far more human deaths than alligators. “All crocodile species can be dangerous, but crocodiles hurt people most often,” Rosenblatt said.

Of these two species, the Nile crocodile is the deadliest. According to CrocBITE, the global crocodile attack database, many fatal attacks by Nile crocodiles have not been reported. A very rough estimate resulted in hundreds of deaths. In contrast, the CrocBite website shows that as of 2020, there have been 20 fatal attacks on saltwater crocodiles.

“Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles have a long history of cannibalism, so on a global scale, these two crocodiles are by far the most dangerous crocodiles,” Wüster said. “In the Americas, American crocodiles and Mississippi alligators do not habitually attack people, so there are not many options there.”

Marisa Tellez, co-founder of the Alligator Research Alliance, said the area and population are important for assessing danger. She said the alligators in Louisiana and Florida were “definitely bolder than the alligators in Belize.”

“But it is well known that Australia’s Indo-Pacific crocodiles and Cuban crocodiles are aggressive to humans,” she said. Weekly newspaper. “Then you have Nile crocodiles, they are considered dangerous in some areas, and then people swim with them in other parts of Africa.”

Which one will win the battle?

Rosenblatt said that if the world’s largest crocodile fights with the world’s largest crocodile, the result is likely to be beneficial to the crocodile.

“The biggest crocodile in the world is bigger than the biggest crocodile,” he said. “A saltwater crocodile can grow to nearly 21 feet long, while a crocodile can only grow to nearly 15 feet. So if the largest crocodile fights with the largest crocodile, the crocodile may win.”

Tellez said: “The largest crocodile species in the world is the Indo-Pacific crocodile. [also known as the saltwater crocodile] (Crocodiles) As we all know, it is the most aggressive kind, and it is likely to be able to easily knock down the largest crocodile. “