Which is more powerful: Alligator or Crocodile?

The Alligator and the Crocodile are both crocodilian reptiles in the Crocodilia order. The Alligator belongs to the Alligatoridae family and the Crocodile belongs to the Crocoylidae family.

The Alligator has a U-shaped snout and the Crocodile has a V-shaped snout.

The Alligator’s teeth are not visible when the mouth is closed, whereas the Crocodile’s teeth are visible when the mouth is closed. 

Both the Alligator and the Crocodile have between 74 and 80 teeth. 

The Alligator has a large, fourth tooth in the lower jaw that fits into a socket in the upper jaw. The Crocodile does not have a fourth tooth in the lower jaw.

There are different species of the Alligator and the Crocodile, but they are all semi-aquatic, living in and out of the water. The Alligator does not usually live in the same habitats as the Crocodile.

The Alligator is an opportunistic feeder, not usually chasing its prey. The Crocodile is an ambush predator – waiting for its prey to come nearby, then rushing at it. 

The Alligator’s jaws have a bite force of about 2,900 pounds of pressure per square inch (PSI). The Crocodile’s jaws have a bite force of about 3,000 to 3,500 PSI.

The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is said to have a bite force of 5,000 PSI, which is the strongest bite force of any animal on Earth. This is ten times more powerful than the bite force of a Great White Shark.

By comparison, a human has a bite force of only 100 PSI. 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM